Jake Gyllenhaal and Renate Renshaw in a scene from Apple TV’s ‘Presumed Innocent’
Scott Turow’s first novel, presumed innocent (1987), tells the story of Kindle County prosecutor Rosette “Rusty” Sabich, who is accused of murdering her co-worker and former lover, Carolyn Polhemus. The tense legal thriller was as much a study of innocence and guilt as it was of marriage, loyalty, jealousy, anger, and obsession.
Presumed Innocent (English)
the creator: David E. Kelley
starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Renate Rinceve, Peter Sarsgaard, Ruth Negga, Bill Camp
Run Time: 40-45 minutes
Episodes: 6 out of 8
Plot: A prosecutor accused of murdering his co-worker must find the killer to clear his name
The bestselling novel was adapted into a successful film by Alan J. Pakula, starring Harrison Ford as Rusty and Greta Scacchi as Carolyn. The film was controversial in its time for its graphic sex and shocking ending. Action movie megastar Ford did a striking job in contrasting his role. He apparently insisted on a buzz cut so that audiences “wouldn’t expect the Harrison Ford they’ve seen before.”
Jake Gyllenhaal in a scene from Apple TV’s ‘Presumed Innocent’
When David E. Kelley, the king of legal shows including L.A. Law And Ally McBealand recent glossy prestige telly, e.g. Big Little Lies And a man completelyannounced its adaptation presumed innocent Expectations were cautiously raised for the miniseries. Care should have been taken for Kelly’s recent productions have been all glitz and no soul. And Kelly seems to be doing just that presumed innocentAs shiny as a new button, but as fascinating as watching paint dry.
presumed innocent It’s in first person and Rusty is the passive center around whom everything happens. Rusty is an unreliable narrator, before that becomes a thing. Much of this was toned down for the film, following the main beats of the novel.
With eight episodes to develop the characters and the plot, Kelly could have fine-tuned the details and used the time to get inside Rusty’s mind – his feeling of being an outsider and his difficult relationship with his father, among others. Instead, Kelly’s Rusty, played with a sweaty fever by Jake Gyllenhaal, is completely busy with the action. The treadmill he runs on is unintentionally symbolic. Everything is projected, there is no key to this family man who risks everything for a woman, who also remains mysterious.
While the series follows the main plot points of the novel, in which Rusty is accused of murdering his colleague and ex-girlfriend Carolyn (Renate Rinceway), there are major changes, most of which are incomprehensible. The underlying misogyny is addressed by the gender reversal of some characters. Dirty Nico Della Guardia (O-T Fagbenle) and Tommy Molto (Peter Sarsgaard) remain men. Judge Little is now a woman (Noma Dumezweni) and so is Detective Alana Rodriguez (Nana Mensah) who helps Rusty. Pregnancy reverses the original resolution.
Renate Rinceve in a scene from Apple TV’s ‘Presumed Innocent’
For some strange reason Sandy Stern, the Argentine lawyer who fought Rusty’s case, is not on the scene. Rusty’s boss Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp) fights the case with the help of Stern’s associate Maya (Gabby Bines). Barbara (Ruth Negga), Rusty’s mysteriously forgiving wife, is a clingy cipher who, at the instigation of Raymond’s wife Lorraine (Elizabeth Marvel), has “revenge extramarital sex” with Clifton (Sarunas J. Jackson), a bartender with a PhD in art. Medical examiner “Painless” Kumagai (James Hiroyuki Liao) is as irritable as ever
There’s a subplot involving Liam Reynolds (Mark Harelik), a killer whom Carolyn put in prison for tying up and killing a woman. The MO is similar to Carolyn’s killing methods. It also involves Carolyn’s ex-husband Dalton (Matthew Allen) and son Michael (Tate Birchmore), who may be involved. Rusty’s kids, Jaden (Chase Infiniti) and Kyle (Kingston Rumi Southwick), are having a hard time at school. At one point Rusty, Barbara and Kyle are seeing the same therapist (Lily Rabe), who refuses, saying it’s too much for Sabich.
Six of the eight available episodes contain nothing that can be said to be presumed innocent It’s going to pull its socks up and change things spectacularly. It’s going to continue in the same smooth monotonous vein, a petty reveal. It’s unfortunate that Gyllenhaal’s television debut had to be on such an absurd show.
Presumed Innocent is currently streaming on Apple TV, with weekly episodes releasing every Wednesday until July 24, 2024
