Cast: Harrison Ford (Rozat 'Rusty' Sabich) Brian Dennehy (Raymond Horgan) Raul Julia (Alejandro 'Sandy' Stern) Bonnie Bedelia (Barbara Sabich) Paul Winfield (Giudice Larren Lyttle) Greta Scacchi (Carolyn Polhemus) John Spencer (Det. Lipranzer) Joe Grifasi (Tommy Molto) Tom Mardirosian (Nico Della Guardia) Anna Maria Horsford (Eugenia) Sab Shimono ('Painless' Kumagai) Bradley Whitford (Jamie Kemp) Christine Estabrook (Lydia 'Mac' MacDougall) Michael Tolan (Mr. Polhemus) Jesse Bradford (Nat Sabich) Cast completo
Madison Arnold (Sgt. Lionel Kenneally)
Musica: John Williams
Costumi: John Boxer
Scenografia: George Jenkins
Fotografia: Gordon Willis
Montaggio: Evan A. Lottman
Makeup: Fern Buchner e Craig Lyman
Casting: Alixe Gordin
Scheda film aggiornata al:
10 Febbraio 2026
Sinossi:
In breve:
Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford), vice procuratore capo della Contea di Kindie, viene incaricato di condurre le indagini sull'assassinio di Caroline Polhemus (Greta Scacchi), sua affascinante collega, con la quale ha avuto un'appassionata relazione extraconiugale. Durante le indagini, la posizione di Sabich si fa sempre più precaria: Raymond Horgan (Brian Dennehy), procuratore distrettuale e suo superiore, lo crede colpevole, Barbara (Bonnie Bedelia), sua moglie, è assai sconvolta; il suo avvocato difensore, Alejandro "Sandy" Stern (Raul Julia), nutre dubbi riguardo al caso, che viene esaminato dal giudice di colore Larren Lyttle (Paul Winfield); il suo accanito accusatore è un collaboratore di Horgan, il cinico Nico Della Guardia (Tom Mardirosian).
Il detective Harold Greer è inizialmente incaricato delle indagini sull'omicidio, ma Rusty lo sostituisce con il suo amico detective Dan Lipranzer, che convince a restringere l'indagine in modo da escludere la sua relazione con Carolyn. Horgan si arrabbia con Rusty per il suo modo di gestire il caso, ma ammette che in passato anche lui era stato romanticamente coinvolto con Carolyn. Rusty scopre presto che anche Molto sta facendo le sue indagini. Quando Della Guardia vince le elezioni, lui e Molto accusano Rusty dell'omicidio e spingono per ottenere prove contro di lui. Lipranzer viene rimosso dal caso e le indagini di Greer svelano la vicenda.
Rusty assume Sandy Stern, un importante avvocato difensore. Durante il processo si scopre che manca un bicchiere di birra che proverebbe la presenza di Rusty a casa di Carolyn. Raymond testimonia e cambia versione, sostenendo che Rusty abbia insistito per gestire le indagini. Rusty scopre che Carolyn aveva acquisito un fascicolo per un caso di corruzione che coinvolgeva un uomo di nome Leon Wells. Dopo essere stato affrontato da Rusty e Lipranzer, Wells confessa di aver pagato al giudice Lyttle $ 1.500 per far cadere le accuse contro di lui, con Carolyn che fungeva da tramite.
Il punto della difesa di Stern è che Della Guardia e Molto hanno incastrato Rusty. Durante il controinterrogatorio del medico legale, viene rivelato che Carolyn ha subito una legatura delle tube, non avendo quindi motivo di usare il contraccettivo spermicida che è stato trovato dall'autopsia. Stern afferma che l'unica spiegazione per questa discrepanza è che il campione di fluido non è stato effettivamente prelevato dal corpo di Carolyn. Sulla base della scomparsa del bicchiere di birra, della mancanza di movente e del fatto che il campione di fluido è stato reso privo di significato, il giudice Lyttle respinge le accuse. Rusty affronta Stern per aver sollevato il fascicolo di corruzione nel caso. Stern rivela che in passato Lyttle ha avuto un breve incontro sessuale con Carolyn e che lui e Raymond sapevano che Lyttle stava prendendo tangenti, e sebbene Lyttle avesse offerto le sue dimissioni, Horgan sapeva che era un giudice brillante e che meritava un'altra possibilità . Quando Lipranzer e Rusty si incontrano sul traghetto per tornare a casa, il detective tira fuori da una tasca il bicchiere di birra mancante, spiegando che non lo ha mai restituito come prova quando le indagini sono state affidate a Molto. Rusty lo getta nel fiume.
When the female deputy prosecutor R.K. Sabich had an affair with is murdered, he is chosen to lead the investigation. However, when he digs too deeply, he finds himself framed for the murder.
Carolyn Polhemus, an up-and-comer in the Kindle County D.A.'s Office, is found viciously murdered in her home. Immediately her boss, D.A. Raymond Horgan and his chief deputy, Rusty Sabich start an investigation. Horgan, however, is in the middle of a campaign to keep his job, which he ultimately loses to former subordinate Nico Della Guardia. Della Guardia and his new deputy, Tommy Molto, decide to prosecute Sabich for Carolyn's murder when it is revealed that Sabich was a former lover of Polhemus. Horgan also turns against his former subordinate, and Rusty soon realizes he has few friends left - except for Sandy Stern, whom he has often faced on the other side of the courtroom, and who will become his new defense lawyer when he is put on trial for murder. Investigation by Stern and his team leads them to think that Rusty was framed for murder - by Molto, who wanted Sabich's job and was trying to punish him for backing Horgan. Is Rusty Sabich innocent...or is he a murderer?
Detailed Storyline:
Rozat "Rusty" Sabich is a prosecutor and the right-hand man of district attorney Raymond Horgan. When his colleague Carolyn Polhemus is found raped and murdered in her apartment, Raymond insists that Rusty take charge of the investigation. With the election for District Attorney approaching, Tommy Molto, the acting head of the homicide division, has left to join the rival campaign of Nico Della Guardia. Rusty, a married man, faces a conflict of interest since he had a brief sexual affair with Carolyn. Rusty has since reconciled with his wife Barbara but was still obsessed with Carolyn.
Detective Harold Greer is initially in charge of the murder investigation, but Rusty has him replaced with his friend Detective Dan Lipranzer, whom he persuades to narrow the inquiry so that his relationship with Carolyn is left out. Raymond grows furious with Rusty's handling of the case, but admits that he had also been romantically involved with Carolyn at one time. Rusty soon discovers that Molto is making his own inquiries. When Della Guardia wins the election, he and Molto accuse Rusty of the murder and push to get evidence against him. Lipranzer is removed from the case, Greer's inquiries uncover the affair and Rusty is arrested as the prime suspect in the murder.
Rusty hires Sandy Stern, a top defense attorney. At trial, it is revealed that an important piece of evidence, a beer glass with Rusty's fingerprints, is missing. Raymond testifies and perjures himself, claiming that Rusty insisted on handling the investigation. From Lipranzer's personal investigation, Rusty discovers that Carolyn had acquired a file for a bribery case involving a man named Leon Wells. Upon being confronted, Wells confesses that he paid Judge Lyttle $1,500 to have criminal charges against him dropped, with Carolyn acting as a facilitator.
The thrust of Stern's defense is that Della Guardia and Molto have framed Rusty. During the cross-examination of the coroner, it is revealed that Carolyn underwent a tubal ligation, thus having no reason to use the spermicidal contraceptive which was found on her. Stern asserts that the only explanation for this discrepancy is that the fluid sample was not actually taken from Carolyn's body. Based on the disappearance of the beer glass, the lack of motive, and the fact that the fluid sample was rendered meaningless, Judge Lyttle dismisses the charges. Rusty confronts Stern for bringing up the bribery file in the case. Stern reveals that Lyttle had a brief sexual encounter with Carolyn and that he and Raymond knew that Lyttle was taking bribes, and although Lyttle had offered his resignation, Raymond felt that he was a brilliant judge and deserved another chance. He then pointedly asks Rusty if justice was served, implying that he has doubts. Lipranzer meets with Rusty and reveals the missing beer glass, explaining that he never returned it to evidence when he was taken off the case. Rusty throws it into a river.
Shortly after, at home, Rusty discovers a small hatchet with blood and hair on it. Barbara admits that she murdered Carolyn because of the affair. She expresses that she had left enough evidence for Rusty to know that she committed the crime but did not anticipate him being charged. In a voice-over, Rusty explains that Carolyn's murder remains unsolved as trying two people for the same crime is "a practical impossibility" and he could never take the mother away from his son even if it were possible to prosecute her. Rusty states that there is a culprit and a punishment in this case, meaning he feels guilty because his actions led to Carolyn's death
