I had this one in the chamber, since there are not many good TV series going around decided to push my Presumed Innocent (2024) review. I watch this series a few months back when it came out. This 2024 version of the Scott Turow’s novel kept me wanting more after every episode, I love the one episode a week for this same reason, it keeps you in suspense and makes it even better with a series like this.
The TV series “Presumed Innocent” is centered on Rusty Sabich, a successful prosecutor who finds himself in a worst situation of being accused of killing his colleague and lover, Carolyn Polhemus, before I continue to be honest there is nothing new to this series that we have not seen under the sun but having Jake Gyllenhaal doing the main character was very exciting. This is one workplace scandal that went terribly wrong! The first episode has Rusty being assigned to the case of Carolyn’s death, but of course things do not go as planned and he ends up in the opposite side of the courtroom defending himself from accusations that could ruin his career.
I have to mention that the plot was very interesting to me and I was engaged right from the beginning, different than most people who probably said "here we go again" with the sick love story that ends in murder. It’s not just a simple who did it show, this one is complicated and the cast helps a lot to bring it life. It’s politics, marriage and betrayal, and more plot turns than you think about. The writers have done a great job to make you think that every character is the murderer at some point of the story. You think you know what is going on and then suddenly, they come up with something else that will surely confuse you even more. It’s as if you are solving a mystery, only that you are doing it from the comfort of a couch with snacks nearby.
As I briefly mention before, the cast was on fire the entire season, Jake Gyllenhaal as Rusty Sabich? Absolute perfection, I have to say the guy has range, he mostly play action roles but this time around it was a very dramatic one. The character is a man, who is a prosecutor in one moment and in the next moment he looks like a man who is falling apart. In one particular scene Rusty is attempting to hold it together in front of his family and you can visibly see him falling apart, in contradiction to this he also suffers from anger management issues because of all the pressure building up to then tell the jury he is not aggressive but who would believe you after you beat up to hell a guy at the front door of you house?!. Gyllenhaal captures the uncertainty and anger that characterizes Rusty, which is a great achievement given the depth of the role.
But it’s not only Gyllenhaal who gives a great performance. Ruth Negga as Barbara, the wife of Rusty is an actress to watch on screen, she does an excellent job of depicting a woman dealing with her husband’s cheating and his potential violence. There is this scene where she is telling her husband why she won’t be the dutiful wife in court and you bet it makes you feel how much guilty is Rusty for putting her in that place, btw it was no the first time he cheated on her, she does a great job at portraying Barbara as a character that is more than just a wronged wife, she also gets close to the dark side herself as the season moves on.
Peter Sarsgaard as the actor for Tommy Molto; He really knows how to portray the role of the villain in the story, after you watch this series you have to hate the guy, there is no other feeling than hating Molto to the core for all the dirty moves he put on Rusty. Each time he was on the screen, I wished to punch him right on the screen and get that arrogant look off his face. Molto and Rusty’s rivalry is well depicted and their face off in the courtroom is one of the best feelings of the series.
I do have to mention Bill Camp as Raymond Horgan, Rusty’s mentor who becomes his defense attorney, at times you feel sorry for the guy, he didn't have to take the case but he did it because of pure heart but during the series there were times when you can tell he doubt Rusty but never said it, probably just my imagination flying but its just pure great acting. Camp does a great job in the portrayal of the character and his scenes with Gyllenhaal are quite interesting, you can see the stress of the situation and the pressure it has on their partnership in this case, they guy had a heart attack right there in the court floor.
As far as I can tell the series had a great reception by the audience online, I'm not going to pretend this is not recycle material because it is, its a remake so its understandable how it might now be that interesting unless you are a fan of the Jake Gyllenhaal and drama series. Audiences are enjoying the show overall and the cast with Gyllenhaal and Negga receiving special attention. It is always a good sign when a series is able to create conversation and this one has a very twisty plot.
Without revealing the ending of the series I have to say it was the best part, the ending for sure will blow your mind, its one of those what the fuck moments that makes you think but why???!!!, all the "pace" problems that you might feel during the series will be worth and its not a problem its just how a murder case situation is, it is suppose to make you feel anxious and exhausted for the situation but the series manage to build in peaks of adrenaline to keep you entertain.
