Unter Verdacht

Very well acted and filmed this clever, agile suspense thriller won't let you down because of the reason that the intrigue will not allow to switch off your video of DVD player. The place: England, late 50's. The topic: laws of divorce. Adultery. Just take a photograph for evidence. This was forged in order to oblige the spouse to divorce. You only have to find the lover. Tony Aaron (Neeson) was the man who used his wife to simulate adultery. But she will die with a powerful man. The man's misterious lover (Laura San Giacomo) gets in between the case. A battle will start for Aaron to prove that his innocence. Suspense till the end. I rate this movie 9 out 10. Andres.

Most of "Under Suspicion" was very good but ...

A few minor shortcomings have already been noted, such as the use of Brighton locales in 1990 that had changed since 1959 and the up-market house in a setting that was nothing like Sussex (it was in Portmeirion, apparently).

In retrospect the opening scenes seemed implausible - a policeman undertaking surveillance leaving his post for a, extedned sex session with the target's wife.

But the film really fell to pieces in the last 15 minutes or so, with the frenetic house search, that frantic last-second dash to the prison and the later encounter in the prison courtyard that would never have been allowed in real life.

The ultimate twist was a jaw-dropper and made me think back to see if the actions that it revealed could have actually happened. Perhaps watching the film again would enable some of the loose-fitting pieces in the plot jigsaw to mesh, but I have my doubts.

A great cast of British actors in this colour film noir style thriller from the early 90s. Neeson plays a private eye in Brighton in the early 50s when they needed evidence of adultery for divorces. I won't spoil the plot but it is a good movie and very nostalgic for those who love the old British films of the 50s. Has a bit of Hitchcock about it with a hint of Albert Finney's "Gumshoe" without the black comedy. I watched this movie being shot on outside location Portmerrion of "The Prisoner" fame in 1990/1. It is a good plot and one of Neeson's early meaty roles before he hit the big time as Schindler.

I guess I must invest in a DVD player that can show region 1 and I can enjoy this movie again.

Unfortunately not out on DVD in the UK which should be rectified.

Liam Neeson is "Under Suspicion" for murdering his wife and a client in this 1991 little known film also starring Laura San Giacomo. This is one of those films one rents and all too rarely realizes that they have found an unsung treasure.

Set in England in 1959-60, Neeson plays an police officer, Tony Aaron. While on assignment with his partner Frank guarding the home of a wealthy man who is out of town, Tony takes time out to have a dalliance with the owner's wife. In the fray that erupts when he's nearly caught by her husband, another officer is killed. Tony is pressured to resign and when he leaves, he only has one friend left - his partner Frank. Tony becomes a low-life private detective who helps clients fake adultery in order to have grounds for divorce. To do this, Tony uses his own wife, Hazel, the woman of the above dalliance, as the "other woman." One night, he does the usual thing of entering the hotel room with a camera and surprising the client and Hazel in bed when he discovers that both have been brutally murdered. He immediately becomes a suspect, though he trails along with his ex-partner during the investigation and discovers some other suspects - not only who had a reason to knock off the artist, but who had plenty of reason to frame Tony for the crime.

This is a very well produced and directed film with brilliant construction. The detail in evoking the atmosphere of the late '50s is wonderful, and if there were ever a film that deserved a "best costumes" nomination for an Oscar, this is it.

The acting is all around very good, with a good deal of the film's budget going to Liam Neeson, who back then was a prolific actor two years from superstardom. Neeson is terrific as a loser who has made one mistake after another so that a noose around his neck seems appropriate. Yet there's something likable about him, and earnest, too, so that the audience feels that though he may not have been able to keep his pants zipped, at heart he's not a bad guy. Laura San Giacomo, who has enjoyed an okay film career but is now best known for her work in the TV series "Just Shoot Me" is very effective as the mysterious mistress whom Tony suspects may have had something to do with her boyfriend's murder. Kenneth Cranham, a very familiar face in British productions, is excellent as Tony's loyal ex-partner, who risks his own job protecting his friend. An absolutely gorgeous woman, Alphonsia Emmanuel, plays Stasio's wife and does a good job in a role that, were she not so beautiful, would probably not have been noticed.

Any film that has me yelling out loud at the screen at 3 a.m. is a good movie in my book. That's the level of suspense that "Under Suspicion" has - if you have a weak heart, take medication first. It's absolutely thrilling.

This is one of those decent crime movies that few people have heard about. It has a lot going for it. I should rate it higher since the story kept my interest all the way both times I saw it (four years apart). The violence and profanity are not overdone, the main characters are very interesting and the story finishes with a unique twist.

Actually, that twist is something you have to ponder to determine whether it makes sense. I am not sure it did. You'd have to watch this again soon and check on a few things. It's either very clever or its totally unfair to the viewer, which is why I kept it at an '8."

It's nicely photographed and I bet it looks much better on a widescreen DVD than on the tape I viewed it on in the '90s. Liam Neeson and Laura San Giacomo star. I was familiar with the latter from the film, "Quigley Down Under." She's much more appealing in that film than this one. Neeson is almost always interesting to watch.