In the last sequence of the movie, Presumed Innocent, Rusty Sabich finds the hammer used in the murder of his mistress, Carolyn. He knows now that his wife, Barbara, committed the crime for which he was put on trial. This scene is important in terms of his guilt because had he not had an affair, his wife would not have become a murderer and the woman would still be alive.
Knowing that it is your fault that someone is dead cannot be easy. Rusty now has to face the consequences of his actions which have been somewhat non-existent since his wife found out. The guilt manifests itself in the scene as his expression changes and he just sits there while his wife describes how she committed the perfect murder, a murder that she intended to wake him from his zombie-like existence, so they could move on to being a happy family once again.
In the last courtroom scene, Rusty’s voice over states, “there is punishment.” Although neither Rusty nor Barbara has faced punishment by the law, they have each other as punishment. Barbara has to live with knowing that her husband will always prefer Carolyn to her, and with killing another human being. Rusty will have to live with the guilt that the woman he loves’ death was because he loved her, and having to live with her killer.
I would say that Rusty has been facing the consequences of his actions from the moment he committed adultery--Why?
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