Under Suspicion (2000)

Well I finally got around to watching Under Suspicion and I must say that the films' cat and mouse chase that was going on throughout the entire film actually did hold my attention.Gene Hackman plays a very wealthy tax attorney named Henry Hearst who is gainfully employed as a partner in his law firm named after him and he is living in Puerto Rico, married to a very young and attractive wife named Chantal played by Monica Bellucci. When two young girls bodies are discovered raped and murdered Henry Hearst becomes Captain Victor Benezet's prime suspect. The Captain is played by the venerable 2005 Oscar winner actor Morgan Freeman and he sets his sights on his prime suspect Henry Hearst with his equally ambitious Detective Felix Owens played by Thomas Jane who would like nothing better than to beat the crap out of this assumed pedophile rich tax lawyer Henry Hearst.Throughout the film which is a 110 minute on screen interrogation Captain Victor Benezet and Detective Felix Owens take turns interrogating the wealthy tax lawyer Henry Hearst divulging all of his deepest darkest secrets and fetishes throughout the film. Meanwhile Mrs. Hearst is behind the two way mirror during some of her husbands interrogation and confession which obviously is meant to embarrass this married wealthy couple in an effort to draw out of them who is responsible for murdering these two teenage girls.Ahhhhh, but just like all of us who crave that beautiful looking dessert or spicy pizza, and we gobble it up, once we have eaten it all, we are left empty and we realize too late that those were wasted calories and maybe we are left with nothing more than just some common heartburn and a reason for feeling we were fooled into eating that dessert, or that pizza that seemed to look so good.Such is the wasted time we have spent on watching Morgan Freeman for 110 minutes interrogate Gene Hackman only to realize that the end does not in this case justify the means. The ending was and is as cheap a dessert, or that pizza we were guilty of consuming, and we always seem to invariably ask ourselves "why did I do that?" If you read my review first maybe I can save you some wasted calories and about 2 hours of your time as the films end is just so disappointing that I asked myself "really now?" "The writers and director could only come up with this crap of an ending?"Well just like a cheap dessert or a spicy pizza that also will eventually turn in to nothing more and nothing less than a good crap so was Under Suspicion. I give it a 4 out of 10 rating and I suggest you stay away from this over rated film.

For moviegoers who mainly like to see action/adventure in their film pursuits, "Under Suspicion" will likely be one of the most "boring" movies they ever see. It is a film that percolates, not explodes. For those who really, really enjoy the savoring of great acting performances and mystery plots, however, this will be a little gem.For a basic plot summary, "Under Suspicion" opens with police captain Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman) and hard-boiled partner Felix (Thomas Jane) wanting "just a few minutes of time" from esteemed community citizen Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman), who is about to give a toast at a prestigious fundraiser banquet. When Hearst shows up at the station, however, he quickly realizes that this isn't going to be just a "moment" of his time, as he is a suspect in the rape/murder of two young girls. He tells his side of the story a number of times...but they always seem to change a little bit with each re-telling. When Henry's glamorous (yet ice cold) wife Chantal (Monica Bellucci) is brought in, she tells a completely different story. It is up to Captain Benezet to figure out what really happened.I wish I could say a lot more about this movie, but to do so would give away far too many spoilers. Suffice it to say, however, that this film isn't necessarily what it seems. Though the "Under Suspicion" title can be applied to Hearst's interrogation by Benezet, it can also be used to describe the relationship between Henry & Chantal. While disguising itself as a police drama, "Under Suspicion" is really a stunning character drama of the highest order.In order for the character drama to work, of course, the acting has to be dead-on, which it is. Hackman gives one of the best performances I've ever seen out of him, while Freeman is also at his peak (before he got sucked into just doing "voice projects"). Bellucci adds a mysterious, supremely sexual aspect to the proceedings. For a film that made its name at the Cannes Film Festival, this is almost an embarrassment of riches."Under Suspicion" is one of those projects that slipped under the popular radar; partially because it didn't get a worldwide release, and partially because it is the type of movie that doesn't necessarily play well to a general audience (not enough action). When one stumbles across it (like I did years ago and then re-discovered it just recently) and can appreciate great acting, unfolding plot, and great character drama, however, it will be like an undiscovered gem.

A spellbinding gripping intense film. Fantastic performances by Gene Hackman (Henry Hearst) & Morgan Freeman (Captain Benezet), and even a great performance by Thomas Jane as the most annoying (Detective Owens) immature untactful detective. Circumstantial evidence and innuendos are abound, but really this highlights guilt by a person's own dark demons and the social media's manipulation rather than giving any doubt to a person based on actual evidence. The end is not the typical Hollywood (happy ever after) ending or even one that the feminists will be able to hang their hats on, but rather one of that is understanding and emotional as someone who has succumbed to saying what people want to hear without any details being supplied or asked, resulting in their whole life being dissected and humiliated by a forensic scientist and then left discarded on the roadside.

Under Suspicion centres almost entirely on an interrogation with a prominent American lawyer in Puerto Rico, who is key suspect in rape-murders of two young girls.Morgan Freeman as the cop, and Gene Hackman as the lawyer, are the sole reason to watch this, as they provide plenty of sparks as they play off each other, Freeman gradually breaking Hackman down.Too often though, it's as if the director has no confidence in his audience, and frequently turns to arty-farty sequences that become increasingly irritating.The ending will infuriate many.