Délit d'innocence

I think An Innocent Man proved that whenever he decided to end his Magnum PI series, Tom Selleck was going to have no trouble in getting good parts. And not those that were a variation on his Thomas Magnum persona.

This is one really powerful film about An Innocent Man getting caught in the criminal justice machinery because of a pair of dirty cops, David Rasche and Richard Young. These two who are decorated heroes in the Long Beach PD for all the arrests they rack up are actually just putting out of business all the independents in the narcotics trade for the local organized crime boss and making a nice side living in the process.

They get an address wrong from an informant and they invade Selleck's home, shoot and wound Selleck, and then plant evidence to make Selleck out as a dealer. He gets convicted and sentenced to six years hard time and I do mean hard which it is for anyone who's not a professional in the criminal trade.

Fortunately he gets himself a mentor in old time con F. Murray Abraham who also has a score to settle with those two cops. Abraham teaches him all the new rules for survival in the joint, housed with men who are by nature incorrigible and don't play by civilized rules. Selleck does things that were against his old nature.

When he does get paroled from inside the joint Abraham quarterbacks a revenge scheme that Selleck participates in.

Besides those mentioned I should also single out Laila Robins who plays Selleck's wife who stands by him and Bruce Young who plays a violent convict that Selleck has to deal with in the joint.

An Innocent Man is one of the best made for television films done and should have gotten big screen theatrical release.

Riveting entertainment of someone accused of a crime that they didn't commit and how the system can be tainted or shuffled against you on a whim. The shocking part is there is nothing you can do about it. I suppose that is why it takes 13 years to execute someone in this country too. We want to be sure before we take a life. Good story, acting and plausible more times than not. The characters draw you in and you either hate them or root for them, but sitting still is not an option with your emotions in full play. This movie activates the emotions. There are plot holes, but we trade them for the raw adventure to be found in watching the movie and joining the characters. There are 4 movies that depict life in prison accurately. 1. American Me 2. Blood In Blood Out 3. The Glass House and this one. If you want to scare someone straight, there is the line-up to remind them to behave them selves now or fight for your life later. This movie also reminds us of how power and money can rule and how we end up serving those things. Then, they finish us off all the worst for it. Catch this movie without interruptions, have a snack ready, and be entertained. I did a bowl of home made double roasted sunflower seeds. I recommend this over biting your nails or smoking to relieve the tension found in this movie at times...Bon Voyage

I think this was a good film about being framed and getting revenge. Tom Selleck is great in his role as the title character. Two crooked cops make a mistake (in more ways than one) when they go to the wrong address expecting to find a drug dealer, break into his house, mistake a hair dryer he is carrying for a gun, and shoot him. They then realize that they are at the wrong house and try to amend their mistake by framing Selleck as a drug dealer. Everything goes their way, and Selleck winds up in prison. Three years later, he is paroled and seeks revenge. During those three years, he is faced with the harsh realities of prison life and is beaten up more than once. F. Murray Abraham is there for him, fortunately, and helps him survive. (Abraham plays another inmate.) I liked this film even though it did follow a formula and was a typical revenge type movie. It was a great role for Selleck, who was perfect in his part.

** 1/2 out of ****

The movie talks an ordinary family man (Tom Selleck) who works as an airplane engineer and married a good woman (Laila Robins) . He's accused by two baddie policemen (David Rashe and Richard Young) as peddler and he's sent to a hard jail . There he is harassed and humiliated until that fury and revenge emerge . He's only helped by a veteran convict (F.Murray Abraham) framed for prison life.

It's an interesting film developed in two parts : in and out of prison . The best part is narrated into prison because of it reflects the astonishing existence of the inmates , with fights, threats ,murders and where rules the strongest's law . In the picture there are suspense, violence, drama , tension and a bit of action in the final confrontation . The picture obtained moderated success , it was not a smash hit neither a flop . Tom Selleck's interpretation is fine but F.Murray Abraham is better , he makes a terrific acting as the veteran con who teaches naive Selleck to take on risks and dangers of the gaol . Many of the film's prison scenes were filmed at the old Hamilton County Jail in Cincinnati, Ohio , also known as the "Cincinnati Workhouse", had been permanently closed prior to the location filming of the movie and it had been built during the Civil War . It was closed due to being "inhumane, cruel and unusual" by modern jail standards . Atmospheric music by Howard Shore who subsequently achieved many hits and one Oscar for ¨Lord of the rings¨. Nice cinematography by William A.Fraker , photographer of various classic films . The motion picture was rightly directed by Peter Yates . The story will appeal to prison genre enthusiasts and Tom Selleck fans.

This movie is a great example of a character thrust into an awful situation - a situation where you question, "What would I do in his shoes?" For that reason, it is very tense and suspenseful throughout as Tom Selleck's character tries to navigate prison life. I really felt for his character - his acting was great. Sure, there are some moments of cheesy lines and overdone composing and a bit of over-acting by the various villains, but for the most part, this is one of the better character thrillers I've seen in awhile. Selleck is great, as if the man who befriends him inside the prison. Can't find anything new to watch? I recommend checking out this little gem from 1989!