Above Suspicion

First off the acting in this film is pretty damn good. Clarke really tricks you into believing she's from the hollers of east Kentucky. As a Kentuckian myself I give her a 10/10. It just drags in the middle to a speed that a great cast and character drama just can't pull it out of. I think the filmmakers tried to stay faithful to the actual events, which is respectable to the ones involved, but ultimately it could be told in 30 minutes. Would watch again in a few years for maybe a better perspective on a slow night. Go into it just to watch Clarke and Knoxville play hillbilly pill heads and you shouldn't be disappointed.

Let's get the pun out of the way - this film is not above suspicion: small(relatively) budget, no huge action sequences, no special fx, no CGI dragons. OK, that's the pun out of the way. In my hazy recollection, this type of thriller was popular in the 90's. The fact that this is a true story is frightening and it adds to the film's impact. Emilia Clarke is really good. I've only seen her in Solo, Last Christmas, and Terminator Genisys. Sorry, haven't seen GoT yet. She's researched her character disturbingly well. Phillip Noyce is a master wizard who chooses the right lenses and framing. He only amplifies the natural lighting. He understands how to pace a story. He knows the best ways to make a smaller film seem 'cinematic'. The supporting cast are very good and cover a 'delightful' range of characters. Johnny Knoxville won't be nominated for an Oscar but he has an undeniable screen presence. It's not a cinema classic, but there's plenty good in this modest production. IF you can keep your expectations in check, you'll be rewarded.

For the movie itself, it's just okay. The only shine in it is Emilia Clarke, who has miraculously changed her British accent to a Kentucky lowlife woman's twirling accent. It's not an easy to change the British accent to an American southern one, at least James Stewart or Matthew McConaughey could never did it. Her transformation in this movie is not just her accent, but her whole image has also completely adapted into a souther dame. It proved that she was a serious actor who could really put her heart into whatever the role she played.

But sadly, this movie is not good enough, the screenplay was lame, all the other supporting actors, some were wrong cast, some of them were not given the chance to do well since the screenplay was so lame and poorly crafted. This is not an interesting or inspiring enough movie. The plot and scenario of the story were all too one-directional predictable and boring.

But besides all the naysay here, I am very glad that Emilia Clarke has proved herself as a very talented actor.

I'll keep this short and sweet. Emilia is stunningly beautiful and talented and I believe she is worth the price of admission on any project.

Above Suspicion is based on a true story and it's the story you've heard a million times, but it's always happening somewhere. A man gets himself into deep sh-t because of a woman, temptation, etc and spirals out of control trying to keep it all in line.

I enjoyed this movie for what it was. It's far from perfect, but it's definitely entertaining and worth your time. And like I said previously, Emilia is incredible.

Much of the true history of the story was changed, which I do not understand because the true story is fascinating. What the book does very well that the movie does not is to make Pikeville and its cast of characters come to life. The setting does not play a great part in the movie, though. And the Kentucky accents and colloquialisms are not great, to be sure.

Emilia Clarke did a very good job with the material she was given, but the script does not quite capture the true Susan Smith very well. Nevertheless, Clarke worked superbly with the material given to bring the troubled, tragic Susan Smith to life. Johnny Knoxville is surprisingly good in his role as Cash. Other important characters, most notably FBI agent Singer, were barely relevant in the movie. Jack Huston was passable as Mark Putnam, and the script and acting actually did a good job presenting Mark's side of the story at the end. However, for much of the movie, Putnam's character is dull, lacking personality. That is more the script's fault than it is Huston's.

All in all, this is a movie worth watching if you're familiar with the story, but it's far from perfect.