Presumed Innocent series review: Jake Gyllenhaal legal thriller deviates from source, but remains effective

3/5

Presumed Innocent series story: Rozat Sabich, aka Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal), a hot-shot prosecutor in the DA’s office, becomes the prime suspect in the death of Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve), a colleague he’d been having a clandestine affair with, and, who was pregnant with his child at the time of her tragic passing. The allegation could not have come at a worse time for him, given that his boss, DA Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp), has lost his re-election and the new man in his seat, Nico Della Guardia (O-T Fagbenle) and chief prosecutor Tommy Molto (Peter Sarsgaard), are determined to put Rusty away.

Presumed Innocent series review: A book that’s nearly 4 decades old, which had a film adaptation 34 years ago, Presumed Innocent made its way to TV with the 8-episode Apple TV+ adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead. While the film was largely faithful to the source material, the show’s ending was changed, with the final reveal rather half-baked with not much of a shock value.

Much of Presumed Innocent’s 8-episode narrative plays out in the courtroom. Rusty Sabich vehemently maintaining he’s innocent, while the state is hoping for a guilty verdict squarely based on the fact that he was obsessed about his now deceased colleague and would not take no for an answer. Very little time is devoted to the victim Carolyn Polhemus, played by Renate Reinsve, an ambitious young prosecutor, who was estranged from her ex-husband and son and caught the attention of both Rusty and fellow prosecutor Tommy Molto, although she reciprocated feelings only for one.

In fact, Presumed Innocent is more about the professional rivalry (that has personal undertones), between Rusty and Molto, with the latter almost vendetta-driven to destroy the man Polhemus chose over him and who bullied him at the workplace. Gyllenhaal tries to be his intense best but it strangely comes across as flat, compared to Sarsgaard as the scheming slime-ball nemesis.

While Reinvse is criminally under-utilized, Ruth Negga, as Rusty’s loyal wife Barbara fares slightly better. She may not completely understand why she remains with Rusty despite his repeated cheating, but cannot bring herself to have revenge sex with a bartender she liked spending time with. Negga’s Barbara is not the jealous wife; instead, she gets to explore her anguish about her crumpling marriage, the effect Rusty’s case has on her and their children, etc., which is far more than the original character was offered.

Presumed Innocent series verdict: David E Kelley’s adaptation is not the most compelling legal thriller and the landing is patchy, but there is enough drama and mystery to keep it engaging. At 8-episodes, though, it is bloated and would have benefitted greatly from a good trim.