PRESUMED INNOCENT. Is this really Apple’s best series? [REVIEW]

In 1990, the film “Presumed Innocent” premiered. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, it was based on a book of the same title and told the story of a prosecutor accused of committing murder. The main role was played by Harrison Ford. In 2024, we are given another chance to engage with this story, this time in the form of a television series. It’s worth noting that it is no less thrilling.

Jake Gyllenhaal, right after playing a new bouncer for Amazon, moved to Apple. Bringing the old drama to a new style, this time he donned a suit to look a bit more serious, as the role required. One thing remained unchanged: Jake gets hit again, this time by fate. Following a shocking murder, the public demands blood. As a prosecutor, he had been convicting and imprisoning people for years. At the time of his colleague’s death, with whom he had an intimate affair, the hero of “Presumed Innocent” becomes the target of the prosecution and must seek a lawyer for himself.

The situation the protagonist experiences is meant to indicate the capriciousness of fate and that we can never be certain of anything. A deserved social position. Many won cases. And what of it? An attraction to a woman brings the prosecutor with an unblemished reputation to ruin. How will Themis behave this time? Will she be blind to the fact that the investigation is based on circumstantial evidence? Will the jury see the difference between “truth” and “the impression of truth” and be able to restrain the prosecutors’ zeal, who are eager to quickly close the case and offer a scapegoat to public opinion?

The title of the series is a spoiler, making it difficult to be surprised during the viewing, especially if you know the original book or at least the 1990 film. However, I have to confess something. When I watched the series, I had no idea it was a remake. I had watched Alan J. Pakula’s film years ago. And the version with Jake Gyllenhaal seemed so original during the viewing that I didn’t realize it was a new adaptation. This only shows that a new quality was built here, especially in terms of narrative methods. The series, directed by screenwriter David E. Kelley, gets under your skin from the first minutes. It draws the viewer into a very disturbing atmosphere of psychological games and sexual obsessions. Sometimes it’s unpleasant, repulsive. Generally, it’s a much more intense experience than what we know from the film version. But this is a plus, making this story immediately feel unique, even though it’s essentially an expansion of something well-known to cinema.

The lead actor also gets under your skin. In my opinion, this is a much more ambiguous character than the one played by Harrison Ford. Personally, I couldn’t like him for a moment. Rusty Sabich, as portrayed by Gyllenhaal, is a guy we don’t want to identify with because he destroyed what he had built over the years, driven solely by lust. This doesn’t change the fact that there is something extremely real about this character, which is vividly expressed in his closing speech intended to persuade the jurors to his side. He simply admits it. Not that he killed, oh no. But that he is just human, and as such, has weaknesses.

“Presumed Innocent” is the story of Icarus, who wasn’t particularly aware of what his wings were made of and how they would react to the strong glow. Rusty lived in this glow for a long time, causing him to become less vigilant. We know this.

In the new edition, this story is watched with bated breath. The atmosphere is suffocating, the characters are ambiguous, there are many nuances, and the camera often shakes nervously, heightening the tension even more. It’s also worth noting that interesting things are happening on the other side of the barricade. Peter Sarsgaard, in the role of the main prosecutor, has done a solid job; his face is often impassive, though the nuances hidden in his gaze reveal the fervor of his stance. However, in my opinion, the revelation of this series is O-T Fagbenle, who, as the attorney general, played something I had never seen in cinema before. Clearly and somewhat inappropriately for the situation, he loosened his tie, portraying the most detached and coldly assessing figure, believing above all in the triumph of reason.

“Presumed Innocent” has become a huge hit for Apple, and it’s no surprise. This is a series that captures the viewer’s attention from the first minutes and doesn’t let go even for a moment. It hits sensitive points. It stimulates a discussion about morality that continues in our minds even after the viewing ends. But it is also a very well-made, well-acted, and well-written series. Apparently, Apple has already decided to return to the formula in the second season. The book has ended, but a new case can be opened. It’s important that it be equally difficult to unravel. Then, why not, I’ll sit in front of the TV again.