Presumed Innocent (2024): Jake Gyllenhaal on his back

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The legal based drama series Presumed Innocent (2024) is already expected to be among the most captivating legal thrillers of all time based on Scott Turow’s 1987 novel as per the script written by David E. Kelley, the drama series takes place in the atmosphere of Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office, describing Rusty Sabich’s complicated story of a chief deputy prosecutor who has been accused of the murder of his female coworker and ex-lover Carolyn Polhemus. This mini series features Jake Gyllenhaal play the role as Rusty which is his first leading part in a series and the series also stars Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Elizabeth Marvel, Peter Sarsgaard among others and also O-T Fagbenle as James.

The story starts with the ugly finding of Carolyn’s corpse, with considerable repercussions at the prosecuting attorney workplace. Hill, the man who was involved in an affair with Carolyn, ends up as the main suspect in the murder case as new leads incriminating him are discovered. It focuses on Rusty, having detailed descriptions of his driven intention to be with Carolyn and how far he is willing to go simply to be forgiven for his supposed crimes, consequently Rusty’s wife, Barbara Sabich, role play by Ruth Negga, is faced with the possibility of infidelity and a shattered marriage. The show does not have a tendency to hide the fact that even the representatives of the elite are confronted with the issues of morality and the everyday concerns of conscience, which makes the series rather philosophical.

- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17677860/ - Platform: AppleTV+ - Release: June 12, 2024 Source Source

The Cast and Characters

The main cast of the series is with Jake Gyllenhaal who is playing the role of Rusty Sabich, a chief deputy prosecutor whose life takes a dramatic turn when he becomes accused of murdering his close friend and former lover Carolyn Polhemus, the usually dramatic actor with a special ability to display emotions close to realistic making Rusty believable. This is the first time that Gyllenhaal has taken on a serious series and the addition of him as the main character to a TV series.

Ruth Negga as Barbara Sabich, one of the main characters is also a part of the couple with Rusty, whose life is turned upside down because of the murder investigation and a woman who has to contend with the struggles of betrayal and loyalty. She is famous for her performance in the film Loving (2016) which can be consider as one of the breakthrough roles as she got the nomination for the Best Actress Academy Award.

Bill Camp portrays Raymond Horgan, Rusty’s supervisor and a well oriented man in the system. Camp has been in numerous shows such as The Night Of (2016) and The Queen’s Gambit (2020). He bridges the gap between the film and television genres and boasts of the Joker (2019) as well as 12 Year a Slave (2013). Camp’s experience and ability to depict complex emotions and feelings performatively add realism to portraying Horgan, the main character of the series.

Lorraine Horgan is Raymond’s wife, and Elizabeth Marvel does an excellent job creating this character. Marvel has experience in television parts, television series in which she actively participated: “Homeland” (since 2011 till 2020), “House of Cards” (since 2013 till 2018). She has also acted in movies including “Lincoln”, a movie that is dated 2012, and “The Meyerowitz Stories” which was produced in 2017. The contrasting traits of strength and complexity are evident in the Marvel characters, which enrich Lorraine’s character based on the murder incident within the story.

Peter Sarsgaard plays the part of Tommy Molto, the prosecutor feared by Rusty. Sarsgaard has had established himself as an actor in such movies like Shattered Glass (2003) as well as An Education (2009), some of the latest projects include the miniseries Dopesick (2021), Sarsgaard’s acting is always credible and ruthlessness, which make him perfect for the role of Molto, a man who is fuelled by ambition and the desire to avenge his brother’s death.

The murdered woman represented by the lovely and talented Renate Reinsve in the role of Carolyn Polhemus plays the character that ignite the conflict of the series, Reinsve got global attention by appearing in the latest film The Worst Person in the World (2021) which resulted in her winning the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress.

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Production and Direction

Lucky for us, the series is a creation of Bad Robot Productions in partnership with David E. Kelley Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The creator of Lost and Westworld, J. J. Abrams also worked as an executive producer for the series putting his creative spin on the show. It seems that show’s Creative Team is composed of talented people such as Rachel Rusch Rich, Matthew Tinker, Dustin Thomason, as well as Sharr White and this can explain the show’s high production values as well as rather complex plot lines.

Shooting of the series started in Pasadena California in February 2023 as the region provided the backdrop of urban landscape of Chicago that production was looking for the main setting of the series. John Paino has specifically embraced the task of production design in order to establish a theme been the high powered world of a law firm and has done an excellent job in picking details that add such aspects to the series. The series main directing responsibilities are divided between Anne Sewitsky and Greg Yaitanes with Sewitsky directing the first two and last episode of season one as well as episode three through seven handled by Yaitanes, they both continue to work together to maintain and establish continuity of the series.

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Themes and Narrative Depth

There are other unique elements that can be mentioned when discussing the series, elements of obsession, erotic, politics and love powerful. It is based on the psychological and emotional states of its characters different than just offer a story besides courtroom excitement. The character of Rusty with a deep affection for Carolyn not only has a flaw, an obsession results in his demise, this demonstrates what ill can come from self serving behavior in positions of power, specifically the practical implications of the deterioration of ethical codes and principles.

Barbara Sabich, played by Ruth Negga, serves as a chief asset to the series also been mention and demonstrate by Barbara in the series through dealing with the murder investigation making her struggle to sustain her family and marriage, therefore portraying the theme of love as both strong and vulnerable.

Presumed Innocent (2024) is an exemplary show that was well developed by professionals behind the scenes and boosted by the skills of its actors, reason why this series can be seen as contributing to legal thrillers as a sub genre in a much more valuable way than others, as it adds a new layer to an older story, not being afraid to engage with some of the heavier themes in a way that previous entries in the genre had not..

The series has been a hot topic of discussion for a while now due to the giant talents attached to it such as David E. Kelley, J. J Abrams, and Jake Gyllenhaal etc, which have definitely raised the bar that this series will be a remarkable addition to the line up of TV series in 2024 with an interesting plot, excellent performances from the cast, high expectations has been set for viewers.

The series promise to be the one that changes the monotony of the classic murder based on an affair, on 2023 we had a similar series Fatal Attraction (2023) in that case as series out of the movie it had to stick to the story in certain way but Presumed Innocent (2024) attempt to do exactly the opposite and include more what the characters go through in the process instead of just looking at the case from the outside.

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