Characters Falsely Accused of Murder

In the 3^rd installment of the 'Taken' franchise, Liam Neeson's Bryan Mills is accused of a ruthless murder he never committed.  Here's a look at some other killer performances from wrongly accused movie heroes.  

Richard Kimball in The Fugitive (1993)

Harrison Ford stars as a Chicago doctor falsely accused of bumping off his wife in this big-screen adaptation of the popular 1960s television show.  The film also starred Tommy Lee Jones, who earned a Best Supporting actor Academy Award^® for his turn as the FBI agent trying to bring the fugitive to justice.  

John Spartan in Demolition Man (1993)

John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) has every reason to give his accusers the cold shoulder in this sci-fi action flick — they froze him in a cryo-prison for murdering hostages while trying to apprehend bad guy Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes).  There's just one problem...he was innocent.  It was Phoenix himself who committed the murderous act. 

Batman in Batman Returns (1992)

In this follow-up to the 1989 blockbuster 'Batman,' the citizens of Gotham blamed the caped crusader (Michael Keaton) for the Ice Princess's fall from the top of a city skyscraper. The dirty deed actually came at the hand of The Penguin (Danny DeVito), however.  His army of bats caused the princess to lose her balance and fall, giving the impression that Batman, visible to the crowd below, had pushed her. 

Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest (1959)

Cary Grant plays an advertising executive wrongfully accused of murder in this tale of mistaken identity and international espionage. Voted one of the American Film Institute's Top 100 Films, this classic from legendary director Alfred Hitchcock also featured Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau...and one very aggressive crop-dusting plane.  

John Coffy in The Green Mile (1999)

Playing opposite Hollywood heavyweight Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan made the most of his first starring role in a feature film.  As the gentle giant John Coffy, Duncan earned nominations for an Academy Award^®, Golden Globe Award^® and SAG Award^® for his performance as the wrongly accused death row inmate with a very special healing power. 

Libby Parsons in Double Jeopardy (1999)

Ashley Judd picked up a Blockbuster Entertainment Award^® along with an MTV Movie Award^®  for her turn as a woman framed for her husband's murder in this pulse-pounding crime thriller. Co-star Tommy Lee Jones nabbed his own Blockbuster Entertainment Award^® nomination, collecting the honor for his role as a compassionate parole officer set on helping Judd clear her name. 

Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps (1935)

Before 'North by Northwest' (1959), this 1935 classic marked director Alfred Hitchcock’s first entry into the wrongfully accused genre.  This time, Robert Donat stars as an innocent tourist who finds himself on the run from the police when he's framed for the murder of a woman found stabbed to death in his hotel room. 

Batman in The Dark Knight (2008)

Holy false admission, Batman! When legal-golden-boy-turned-scarred-super-villain Harvey "Two Face" Dent (Aaron Eckhart) goes on a revenge-fueled killing spree, it's Batman (Christian Bale) who cops to the murders (and to doing away with Dent) in order to preserve the good name of Gotham's legal eagle.  

Rubin Carter in The Hurricane (1999)

Denzel Washington delivered a knockout performance as the titular character in this true story of boxer Ruben "Hurricane" Carter.  Washington earned an Academy Award^® nomination for his portrayal of the once-promising prizefighter who was falsely imprisoned for a triple murder he did not commit. 

Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Written and directed by Frank Darabont, this Oscar^® - nominated drama tells the story of a young banker forced to serve a life sentence for a pair of murders he did not commit.  Tim Robbins shines as the wrongfully convicted Dufresne, as does his co-star Morgan Freeman who plays fellow convict "Red" Redding.  Robbins earned a SAG Award® nomination for his efforts, while Morgan earned nominations for both an Academy Award^® and SAG Award^® for his work on this adaptation of a Stephen King short story.