An Innocent Man

An Innocent Man is a 1989 American crime drama thriller film directed by Peter Yates, and starring Tom Selleck. The film follows James Rainwood, an airline mechanic sent to prison when framed by crooked police officers. Plot James "Jimmie" Rainwood (Tom Selleck) is an ordinary, model citizen. Happily married to his beautiful wife Kate (Laila Robins), he has a modest home in Long Beach, California. Jimmie works as an expert American Airlines aeronautics engineer, supporting his wife while she's in college. Detectives Mike Parnell (David Rasche) and Danny Scalise (Richard Young) are crooked narcotics cops who steal the drugs they seize at busts for their own recreational drug use and to sell to dealers, brutalising or framing anyone who gets in their way. One of their regular customers for stolen drugs is Joseph Donatelli (J.J. Johnston), a high-level mobster. One day Parnell takes a large hit of cocaine and gets confused about the address for the next drug bust, and, as a result they break into the wrong house - Jimmie’s. Just as Jimmie walks out of the bathroom holding a hair dryer, Parnell shoots, thinking it's a weapon. Jimmie is shot in the stomach and knocked unconscious. Realising that they could both be tested for taking drugs and charged, they decide to cover up their mistake. They plant drugs in the house and place a firearm in the hand of Jimmie's unconscious body, framing him as a drug dealer. Jimmie is pegged as a user, having a prior record of marijuana possession while in college, and his only defence is his word against two decorated police officers. He claims the two cops framed him, but, with no evidence to prove the men are corrupt, he is convicted of several charges and receives a 6-year prison sentence. Internal Affairs detective John Fitzgerald (Badja Djola) takes an interest in the situation, though he can't do anything as the only evidence against the corrupt officers is hearsay.