Tom Selleck is An Innocent Man when he’s framed for drug possession by some very crooked cops in An Innocent Man.
Logline
Jimmie Rainwood is a successful aeronautical engineer with a nice home in Long Beach, and his wife Kate is finishing her degree at college. There is nothing remotely dangerous about Rainwood until two Long Beach detectives accidentally mistake his address for that of a drug dealer they plan to rip off.
The dirty cops, Parnell and Scalise surprise Jimmie in his home, and subdue the confused homeowner. The dastardly police officers frame Rainwood and with the efficiency that most courtrooms are unable to show in real life, he is swiftly railroaded on the streets of justice and sent to prison.
He’s innocent, but Jimmie has a new problem. In jail, a man named Jingles has taken an interest in the fresh fish of the locked-up market. Jimmie is in danger, and the only way to survive is to follow what prison leader Virgil Kane says. He must kill Jingles, or else Jimmie may not make it out of incarceration alive.
While Kate is trying to free her innocent husband, Jimmie takes matters into his own hands and subdues Jingles. Now, with a reputation for being tough, Jimmie can make it through three years of prison to his parole.
Outside, Parnell and Scalise continue to harass Jimmie at home. With an internal affairs detective named Fitzgerald, and some help from Virgil, Jimmie takes the law into his own hands to deal with the corrupt cops and stop Parnell and Scalise once and for all.
High Praise
Tom Selleck is enjoyable to watch, and he makes the transition from the easy-going guy to the scarred ex-con who will do anything to get his life back with ease. Selleck’s charm makes the movie work.
The real star of the film is F. Murray Abraham. He makes Virgil Kane, who is not a good person, look good. Every prison movie always has one all wise con who can get things done and is supremely tough without having to back it up. Abraham makes Virgil the precise guy you would want to befriend in prison. Kane is terrifying, and it’s thanks to Abraham and his projection of power that makes him so well cast.
What Were They Thinking
Parnell and Scalise are not the brightest and the fact that they are highly emotional and impulsive makes me wonder how terrible Fitzgerald is at his job for never being able to bust them for their many crimes.
There are many moments throughout the film where an uplifting and joyful soundtrack is played that doesn’t match up with the mood of the story. This seems to be a common problem with thrillers films from the 1980’s.
Jimmie’s plan to capture Parnell and Scalise would never work in real life. There is no way it absolves him of his crime and sets him free.
Backlot Knowledge
- The director Peter Yates initially had reservations about the script. The violence in the movie was a little much for the director. However, the writing itself caught his eye, and Yates liked the idea that this movie was an ‘experience movie’, of what happens to someone when they get caught up in an event.
- Most of the prison scenes were filmed at the Hamilton County Jail in Cincinnati.
- Richard Young, who plays Danny Scalise is very recognizable as the man who gives Indiana Jones his trademark fedora in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
- The gym scenes of the prison were filmed at Norwood Jr. High School. The building was built in 1912 and was one of its kind because it was the only place in the Cincinnati area with a running track suspended thirty feet above the gym.
- In the climax of the film at the Long Beach marina you can hear the carousel band play the Dumbo suite in the background.
- M.C. Gainey who played Malcolm, was reportedly high on cocaine during his audition.
- Robert Duvall and David Carradine turned down the Virgil Kane role.
- Laila Robbins would reunite with Selleck on Bluebloods.
- The film would also feature Philip Baker Hall, Tobin Bell, and Dann Florek in small roles.
- Roger Ebert gave the film 1 1/2 stars and said the movie was too relaxed to build up the suspense and crime of the story.
Critical Response
{Snub-Skip this Film, Overexposed-Desperate for Something to Watch, Clapper-A Perfect Film For Any Device, Magic Hour– You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen, Award Worthy– This Film is Cinema.}
I remember my dad renting this film in 1990 from the local video store, Lazy Bob’s Flicks n Buns, and he let me watch it. Looking back, my dad should not have let me watch this movie as a kid.
Setting the stroll down memory lane aside, An Innocent Man, is a product of the times. It was precisely the type of film that Disney needed to make and would most likely today be confined to a streaming movie that would never get a big screen release.
The film is good, the performances are ok, and if you are looking for something interesting and new, then An Innocent Man is your best bet for a time capsule movie from the Disney vault.
An Innocent Man gets the Clapper Award. This is a film that is great for any device and something you can easily enjoy on your morning commute.
Best Quotable Line
“I’m ready to deal with my problem.” Jimmie says this as he seeks help from Virgil to deal with a dangerous inmate who has taken an interest in Jimmie.
Call Sheet
- Tom Selleck as Jimmie Rainwood
- F. Murray Abraham as Virgil Kane
- Laila Robbins as Kate
- David Rasche as Mike Parnell
- Richard Young as Danny Scalise
- Badja Djola as John Fitzgerald
Production Team:
Directed by Peter Yates
Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Silver Screen Partners IV / Interscope Communications
Written by Larry Brothers
Release Date: October 6, 1989
Domestic Box Office Gross: $20,047,604
Coming Attractions
Next week a look back at the highs and lows of this past year from ‘Touchstone and Beyond’.