We're partial to a twist and turn. We live for the unravelling of a psyche, and the ways in which people and crime come to head when matters of love and violence intersect. All in all, we love a good murder (in fictional form). Presumed Innocent is the latest addition to the courtroom thriller family that has us flush under the collar. A tightrope of legal and psychological infamy, the television series has tapped Jake Gyllenhaal in the title role of Rusty Sabich, a legal attorney caught in the web of allegations. While season one of the series has kicked off to uproarious reception, season two has been green-lit – but how long until we're summoned again in for jury duty could be anyone's guess.
To pass the time, we've got the cure. We've rounded up the high-rollers in the crime genre below, for your perusing and pleasure. Take a look and pass your judgement. Court is in session, after all – here are the best TV shows and movies to watch after you've finished Presumed Innocent.
Witness for the Prosecution
Marlene Dietrich is in raring form in this film. A woman testifies against her husband. Courtroom drama ensues. Ethics come into question, and justice, as it is found, is seldom easy to deliver.
Watch on: Amazon Prime
Elite
Now hear us out: We're after whodunnits and thrill, aren't we? If those are the qualitative traits we're looking for, Elite more than qualifies. Straight out of the prestigious high school of La Encinas, sex, violence and murder twine the students as they find their way out.
Watch on: Netflix
Sharp Objects (TV Series)
Gillian Flynn is in tiptop shape in this television series. With Amy Adams as the lead chasing the murders of two young girls in her hometown, things take a macabre turn. Who could forget the final, plaintive lisp? Don't tell Mama.
Watch on: Binge
Chicago
We both reached for the gun. There's no courtroom drama without the silver-tongued prince Billy Flynn. And there's no lurid pastiche of the mystery genre as compelling as Chicago. I think, perhaps, Foxy Roxy Heart could do Rusty Sabich in Presumed Innocent. But could he do Cell Block Tango? Therein lies your answer.
Watch on: Netflix
Anatomy of a Fall
A wife accused of murder has to oust the French legal system in order to defend her innocence. This courtroom drama is rife with intrigue, violence and most notably snagged the Palm d'Or prize last year.
Watch on: Stan
Mindhunter (TV series)
I remember when I was up in arms over the cancellation of this cult netflix show. Mindhunter was a cool, ennervating dissection of some of the most profiled serial killers of the United States, and kept us mid-hover on the edge of our seats.
Watch on: Netflix
Atonement
Caught in fragrante delicto. That one green dress of lore. Jealousy. Red Herrings. Dive in, and emerge, wet and wispy from the fountain.
Watch on: Netflix
The Sinner (TV series)
This anthology helmed by Jessica Biel dwells on themes of disturbing murder through an empathic lens and under-the-table detective tactics. A nailbiter to the end.
Watch on: Netflix
The Trial
Le Procès nails purportedly innocent bureaucrat Josef K. with an open arrest. What for? That remains to be the question, as the cops are tight-lipped and our leading man completely oblivious to the nature of his wrongdoing.
Watch on: Google Play
Big Little Lies (TV series)
Big Little Lies hive rise. Liane Moriarty's book turned television adaptation is a femme-centric lensing of motherhood, murder, and the secrets that pin us against our nearest and dearest.
Watch on: HBO & Binge
The People V OJ Simpson: American Crime Story (TV series)
The OJ Simpson murder trial is one of the most historic and well-documented legal proceedings of our time. This short adaptation doesn't gloss over any of the evocations that arose when America's beloved footballer was accused of murdering his wife in cold blood.
Watch on: DisneyPlus
Flowers of Evil (TV Series)
An unassuming husband might upend a marriage on the rocks. Not all is as it seems, and it is up to us to look through the ones we hold closest to get to the core of a mystery.
Watch on: Netflix
II Bidone
A trio of conmen. Criminal convicts aging out against time. One of Frederico Fellini's masterpieces, this film has all of the action and slick moral tales of power and money.
Watch on: Mubi
Klute
Jane Fonda takes the cake and fends off a sociopath. Donald Sutherland joins her on the warpath as a private eye.
Watch on: Amazon Prime
Devil in a Blue Dress
Easy Rawlins is caught in the webs of a noir mystery. This is not your average noir thriller: and Washington is superb at keeping apace of the film's jittery, electrifying happenings.
Watch on: Amazon Prime
