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Based on Scott Turow's novel "Presumed Innocent", adapted from its namesake movie (1990), and in anticipation of the same-named upcoming Apple+ mini series, "WAS JUSTICE DONE?" explores the question of justice, inside and outside of the law, in two versions.
"Presumed Innocent" director, Alan Pakula, had intended to change the movie's ending. He was going to cut Barbara's confession, until actress Bonnie Bedelia got ahold of an earlier draft that had the confession, and gave such a passionate reading of it that Pakula was convinced to keep it in. Whether accurate or apocryphal, it got me looking at the final act with different eyes: did any shots suggest that they were created with a different ending in mind? Yes! Next, could I (re-)construct that ending? Yes!
This fanedit, "Was Justice Done?", offers both that alternate ending (the Editor's Cut) and the original ending (the Straight Cut). Each version is 89 minutes (38' cut).
***
SPOILERS AHEAD !!! Read on if you've seen the film and know the ending. If not: get the film and watch it, then come back and continue reading.
***
"Presumed Innocent" is one of the better courtroom dramas. Harrison Ford is excellent, Raul Julia is awesome, and Bonnie Bedelia knocks it out of the park (in the Straight Cut, see changes below). But the story takes too long and many moments have no stakes, in part because there is too little doubt whether or not Rusty is innocent.
Solutions:
- Faster pacing: cut 30+ minutes.
- Place viewer more in the action (as opposed to getting information after things have happened): 1) The murder victim starts out alive and Rusty's affair with her is ongoing. 2) Make the flashbacks less about information of the past, more about showing Rusty's continued obsession in the present.
- Trim several sub-plots: the re-election and the mathematics PhD don't raise the stakes for the main plot. Much of their screen-time is filler. Trim!
- Leave more doubt whether Rusty is guilty.
- Make the ending more uncomfortable. In the Straight Cut: add an epilogue that focuses on Rusty's conscience after the reveal. What does he do? How does life go on after that? In the Editor's Cut: will this be a secret that hangs over Rusty & Barbara's marriage forever? Will she trust him after this?
Timeline changes:
- Carolyn's affair with Raymond now happens before her affair with Rusty. That affair is ongoing when the movie starts and ends soon after. She's killed soon after that.
- In the Straight Cut, the missing glass is explained after the killer is revealed.
"Presumed Innocent" director, Alan Pakula, had intended to change the movie's ending. He was going to cut Barbara's confession, until actress Bonnie Bedelia got ahold of an earlier draft that had the confession, and gave such a passionate reading of it that Pakula was convinced to keep it in. Whether accurate or apocryphal, it got me looking at the final act with different eyes: did any shots suggest that they were created with a different ending in mind? Yes! Next, could I (re-)construct that ending? Yes!
This fanedit, "Was Justice Done?", offers both that alternate ending (the Editor's Cut) and the original ending (the Straight Cut). Each version is 89 minutes (38' cut).
***
SPOILERS AHEAD !!! Read on if you've seen the film and know the ending. If not: get the film and watch it, then come back and continue reading.
***
"Presumed Innocent" is one of the better courtroom dramas. Harrison Ford is excellent, Raul Julia is awesome, and Bonnie Bedelia knocks it out of the park (in the Straight Cut, see changes below). But the story takes too long and many moments have no stakes, in part because there is too little doubt whether or not Rusty is innocent.
Solutions:
- Faster pacing: cut 30+ minutes.
- Place viewer more in the action (as opposed to getting information after things have happened): 1) The murder victim starts out alive and Rusty's affair with her is ongoing. 2) Make the flashbacks less about information of the past, more about showing Rusty's continued obsession in the present.
- Trim several sub-plots: the re-election and the mathematics PhD don't raise the stakes for the main plot. Much of their screen-time is filler. Trim!
- Leave more doubt whether Rusty is guilty.
- Make the ending more uncomfortable. In the Straight Cut: add an epilogue that focuses on Rusty's conscience after the reveal. What does he do? How does life go on after that? In the Editor's Cut: will this be a secret that hangs over Rusty & Barbara's marriage forever? Will she trust him after this?
Timeline changes:
- Carolyn's affair with Raymond now happens before her affair with Rusty. That affair is ongoing when the movie starts and ends soon after. She's killed soon after that.
- In the Straight Cut, the missing glass is explained after the killer is revealed.