Under Suspicion
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Movie Reviews of Under Suspicion
Movie Review: What suspicion does to a person...
Summary: 5 Stars
Well acted. The ending is no surprise if you can grasp what Hackman's character had gone and was going through.Movie Review: "Everyone has secrets. Some of them are crimes."
Summary: 4 Stars
The heavyweight casting of "Under Suspicion" might be so impressive that it ultimately hurts the film. Certainly the idea of having Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman in a room going after each other in a lengthy police interrogation is going to be worth the watching, but given who the principles are director Stephen Hopkins may be stacking the deck too much in terms of how we resolve the film's ambiguities. After all, we fully expect Freeman to be playing a good cop and you can never really look at any character Hackman is playing without wondering what he is really up to. The tag line for this film only serves to emphasize this idea: "Everyone has secrests. Some of them are crimes."
This 2000 drama is a remake, after the peculiar manner of such things, of the 1981 French film "Garde à vue." This time the setting is in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which allows the film to have an exotic element while retaining the rules of American jurisprudence. During the celebration of San Sebastian's Feast police captain Victor Benezet (Freeman) asks prominent attorney Henry Hearst (Hackman) to come in and answer a few questions about the statement he gave about finding the body of a murdered girl. This is the second such murder in the last couple of weeks and the police are trying to capture what they fear is a serial killer. But as Hearst answers Benezet's questions more and more holes appear in his story, which raises even more questions about not only what the lawyer was doing when he discovered the body, but what other things he has been up to in recent weeks.
Clearly we are to think that Hearst is guilty, but from the start we have the feeling that there is more that is going on here than meets the eye. But the more Benezet uncovers Hearst's questionable interesting in "young" women and his troubled marriage with the beautiful Chantal (Monica Bellucci), the more we become convinced that there is something missing, some key piece to the puzzle that we do not yet understand. Herding us in this direction are the frequent pronouncements by Det. Felix Owens (Thomas Jane), who is investigating the murders, that Hearst in absolutely guilty. This guy in trying to drive the nails into the coffin way too soon and even sabotages the interrogation in his eagerness to get to the part when Hearst gets executed for his crimes.
The fact that this is a criminal investigation obscures that what we have here is a psychological drama. Benezet believes that he can find the truth by unraveling the layers of lies and obfuscations that Hearst has created about his life and personal habits. Step by step the interrogation strips away not only Hearst's secrets but his toupee as well. To get Hearst to crack Benezet brings Chantal Hearst into the process, hoping that she will allow them to search the house and asking her questions that illuminate more lies in what her husband has been telling the police.
Part of the attraction here is that Hearst fights back. He knows that Benezet has recently been divorced and is able to put together some telling guesses about the glass house in which the captain is living. Hearst knows how the game is played and is sharp enough to know when the police are overplaying their hand. He is a respected member of the community, supposedly giving them ten minutes of his time on his way to give a speech at a fundraiser, and he knows that bringing him down could make the careers of Benezet and Owens. But the main strength of the paper is that whatever the shortcomings of the script Hackman and Freeman make you pay attention. I would have loved to have seen them do this as a stage play, without the Hopkins constantly showing us in flashbacks what the two men are talking about, and letting these two heavyweights carry the entire thing.
In the end, what you think about "Under Suspicion" comes down to whether or not you buy the ending. I can see how many viewers would have problems catching and understanding the "why" for what happens. I picked it up the first time simply because I was paying more attention to a look in the eyes more than what was being said at the crucial moment. Be fully prepared to watch this film twice, so that you can reassure yourself that what happens at the end comes both logically and emotionally from all that comes before it. I think you will be able to see how it makes sense, although you might not appreciate that the came comes to an end with a quiet surprise rather than a big shock.
Movie Review: Masterful performances by all three actors
Summary: 4 Stars
Attorney Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman) has dream life--a gorgeous trophy wife Chantal (Monica Bellucci), a mansion on paradisical San Juan Island. partnership in his firm. Then he discovers the body of a little girl and reports it to the police--as any good citizen should.
Captain Victor Benezet (Freeman) is a hard-working police captain who investigates the first death and discovers more. He calls Henry to the station on the night of a prestigious charity event for questioning along with his subordinate Detective Owens (Thomas Jane).
The problem comes when Hearst's story doesn't quite stack up. On the night of a benefit ball where Hearst is supposed to speak, Benezet calls him in for questioning.
Benezet is under a lot of pressure. Hearst is a powerful man on the island and a friend of his boss. Plus, he's the keynote speaker at the fundraiser--and the island needs the money. Hurricane Lucy has just ripped through and despite the party atmosphere, they have a cholera outbreak, open pits for sewers and the other plagues a storm leaves behind.
The questioning is rough, revealing omissions in Henry's story, plus his life isn't quite as much of a dream as we'd once believe. We see the story unfold through testimony, flashbacks, and current happenings. Henry and his wife sleep in separate bedrooms--regarding the alibis: "We don't ask those kind of questions anymore..." Henry regularly visits young prostitutes, because: "Someone opposite Chantal. A prostitute will give you a great deal for a little bit of money..." Henry has a fondness for young children--he 'raised' Chantal to be the woman of his dreams...
But--did he do the crime or didn't he? I was almost on the edge of my seat wondering through the whole film. Both Hackman and Freeman give stellar performances and the story is fascinating, but I think I could have done with about 20 minutes less film somewhere.
If you're a fan of intense, interpersonal drama, this film's one for you. You see lives laid bare under the white lights of an interrogation room. "Under Suspicion" definitely opened my eyes about police questioning.
Rebecca Kyle, May 2008
Movie Review: Really a lot better than you think
Summary: 4 Stars
I went into this movie thinking it would turn out to be something like THE USUAL SUSPECTS. While that film is really good, UNDER SUSPICION far, far exceeds the genre many people think it belongs in (much like Sean Penn's THE PLEDGE, also a tremendous movie).UNDER SUSPICION is not a tricky whodunnit movie. It has the look and feel of one, it even has a (slightly) twist ending as others have pointed out before. But in the end, there is no Kaiser Sose revelation. I think many people were disappointed by this (as many were with THE PLEDGE). Many people were also upset about the ending, which when you think about it was completely obvious and fitting with the story. I personally don't think it had a twist ending.
At any rate, this movie is really good. It's not perfect (which is why I gave it four stars) but it's pretty close. Many movies can, at the end, be confusing. Being confusing is hot very hard. But when a movie has you questioning whether what you think is right, what you think really happened, and what the point was, you know it's a good movie. I'll admit I was a little miffed at the ending, but a couple minutes later, when it hit me, my jaw dropped.
If nothing else convinces you to see this movie, the fact that you get to see Gene Hackman do such a tremendously great acting job should be reason enough. The man is an underrated genius, and UNDER SUSPICICION proves that fact once again.
Movie Review: Brilliant acting of Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought "Under Suspicion" in the first place because it is with Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman, both favorite actors of mine. They both give a great performance but on the whole I was a bit disappointed in the movie. The plot drags along somehow maybe because there is not much suspense or action and the ending is predictable. There are no scenes which touch on human emotions and the characters are not very likeable. But it is worth watching just for the acting of Freeman and Hackman. Both actors are brilliant and sure made the best out of their roles. The theme is nothing new. For me it was a bit strange that a character like the one Gene Hackman is playing couldn't hold out such an interrogation without getting completely confused and disconcerted about what had really happened. But who knows? No one can hold out indefinitely. There is probably a limit for everyone. But if you like Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman you definitely have to see this movie just because of their acting is brilliant, no matter whether you like the story or not.