Presumed Innocent

FULL MOON SLEEPOVER

Directed by: Alan J. Pakula
Starring: Harrison Ford, Greta Scacchi, Bonnie Bedelia, Raúl Juliá
Duration: 127 minutes
Year of Production: 1990

Back then, Presumed Innocent represented lightweight commercial cinema; today it stands as a serious film for adult audiences, proving how much cinematic times have changed. In the story of a prosecutor who investigates the murder of a colleague and former lover, only to find himself accused, you will find all the recognizable motifs of the legal thriller that would dominate audience preferences in the following years: the intertwining of personal and procedural intrigue, subtle doses of eroticism, the framing of a star—in this case, a traditionally irate Harrison Ford—with familiar supporting actors and memorable plot twists.

And of course, you will recognize the signature of Alan J. Pakula, a filmmaker who dedicated his career to the search for truth, to the need to find and name Evil. A need that here is satisfied within the realm of fiction, though far from the courtroom benches. This is how a “lightweight commercial film” gains special weight when integrated into the filmography of its creator. Giannis Basileiou