Opening statement: Presumed Innocent is a novel by Scott Turow, a blockbuster bestseller in the second half of 1987. It was about an attorney named Rusty Sabich who is accused of murdering his colleague, Carolyn Polhemus. Carolyn was also his lover, despite the fact that Rusty was married to Barbara and the father of their son. As the novel unfolds, battling lawyers and their motives are revealed, evidence is misplaced, colleagues betray one another, sex is had (or recollected), and a dirty judge is partially unmasked, to recall but a few of the fun turns this brilliant novel takes. There’s also a trial, of course, during which Rusty’s lawyer, Sandy Stern, uses his mild manner and one-of-a-kind mind to undo the efforts of the prosecution’s attorney, Tommy Molto
Did Rusty kill Carolyn? Well, no spoilers here. Just fasten your seatbelt: there are twists galore. (And you may well recall that there’s also the 1990 movie, starring Harrison Ford and directed by Alan J. Pakula.)
The evidence: Let’s jump back a couple of years ago, when a team that included David E. Kelley and J.J. Abrams decided the time had come for a new Presumed Innocent, a limited series of some eight hours in which a broader version of the story could be told.
Except, you know, with differences. The filmmakers would set it in the present day. They would add a daughter to Rusty and Barbara’s family. They would do away with the misplaced evidence and change the gender of the judge, which alone killed one of the novel’s key surprises (at least so far; reviewers were given only the first seven episodes). They would add various plot turns that didn’t appear in the book, such as giving Carolyn a son, thereby killing another one of the book’s best plot points. And they would not include the magnificent Sandy Stern at all, a pity because he was an extraordinary character who knew just how to squeeze his courtroom adversaries to great legal and entertainment effect. In his place, they made Rusty’s friend and boss Raymond Horgan his attorney, a very different piece of narrative.
All of which is meant to say that the new Presumed Innocent isn’t really Presumed Innocent. Sure it’s about a lawyer accused of murdering his lover and all the complications and drama that arise—but after that, any resemblance to the book is purely coincidental.
So I’m baffled. What the filmmakers made is compelling, but not in a good way. It’s compelling in a Why the hell did they do that? way. In a Can’t wait to see what they screw up next way. Why did they take an unforgettable novel and almost completely rewrite it, when simply adapting it anew was all anyone had to do? Add more depth to the characters, sure. Add a few contemporary references, sure. But why take just the novel’s set-up and some of its characters and its title and make pretty much a whole new story? What’s the point? Did they even keep the final twist, the one that made the novel unforgettable? The jury’s still out on that.
Having said all this, the cast is excellent. Jake Gyllenhaal as Rusty is terrific, though this version of Rusty is a jerk verging on an asshole. Ruth Negga as his wife is just as good, a master of less is more. Bill Camp, as Raymond, has all the wonderful bluster that big-built guys have; I only wish he’d been given the original, more complex version of the character, though, not the poorly written nice-guy best-friend no-conflict version. O-T Fagbenle is spot-on as the snaky Nico Della Guardia, and Peter Sarsgaard plays his sidekick, Molto, to slithery perfection.
The novel and the 1990 film shared a certain subtlety. The thrill of both was in the quiet, the matter-of-factness of legal procedure and human betrayals and genuine emotion, all sparked by the brutal, bloody murder of a young attorney. The series, sadly, lacks that subtlety. It’s mostly quick cuts, overhead shots of Chicago, way-too-tight close-ups, gratuitous violence sprinkled here and there, pelting rain, and the sense that a lot of empty space needed to be filled with story. Frankly, even with all the needless, senseless changes, the series would have been stronger at six episodes.
The verdict: Although I wish it were otherwise, with this Presumed Innocent there is no presumption of innocence. The evidence proves the filmmakers are as guilty as can be. ◊
Note: Presumed Innocent premiered on Apple TV+ on June 12, with episodes 1 and 2. Subsequent episodes will air weekly.
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