
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 28, 1990                   TAG: 9007280338
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CHRIS GLADDEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

THRILLER OVERCOMES OBSTACLES

"Presumed Innocent" has to confront three obstacles going in. Scott Turow's book on which it is based derives much of its page-turning clout from a wealth of detail about the legal profession that no movie could adequately cover.

Millions of people who read the book will know what's going to happen, always a drawback with a mystery.

And star Harrison Ford has to battle the star stigma, playing a life-size victim instead of a larger-than-life matinee hero.

But under the direction of Alan J. Pakula, the movie turns out to be a solidly crafted courtroom drama that overcomes most of the inevitable problems in adapting such a complex book to the screen.

Much of the credit has to go to Pakula's objective and distanced directorial style, the many good performances and the way co-writers Pakula and Frank Pierson weave in the shifting complexities and motivations of all the players in a sensational murder trial.

Ford plays Rusty Sabich, a prosecutor who finds himself the chief suspect in a case that he's investigating. As the case unfolds, Sabich is incriminated more and more by the physical evidence that emerges. To Ford's credit, he gives a tight and controlled performance that should keep audiences members who haven't read the book off balance.

Among the other fine actors who acquit themselves well here are Brian Dennehy as Sabich's politically attuned boss; Bonnie Bedelia as the wronged wife; Paul Winfield as the blunt trial judge; John Spencer as Sabich's loyal detective-buddy; Greta Scacchi as the beautiful and opportunistic murder victim; and most of all Raul Julia as the smooth and exceptionally perceptive defense attorney.

`Presumed Innocent' A Warner Bros. picture at the Terrace Theatre (366-1677) and Tanglewood Mall Cinema (989-6165). 135 minutes. Rated R for strong language and sexual content.

by CNB