The Suspect

I think the description of the movie may have thrown me off a little bit, because I was expecting the events to turn out differently, and the lead characters to be different.

I must say, when the experiment that is the movie's plot goes wrong and the goals of the experiment start to reveal itself, it made for an interesting roller-coaster of events done in a very low key matter, and very well.

It's funny, the movie tries to be cleaver and show you that things are not what they seem, but it messes up somewhere and the movie falls victim of the point it was trying to make, and as a result does not make it at all.

the summary made me feel that it was trying to speak out against prejudice, but I felt everyone in the film just got stereotyped.

I don't know if the filmmaker intended to do this or realized what he was doing, but if that's not the case he may want to strangle the man who promoted this film. It's a good film if you can take race out of the equation, I couldn't.

This is the first time I am writing a review on IMDb and I am doing this for two reasons: 1). Because this is a truly great movie that deserves a review 2). To boost up the ratings because I am truly shocked that the film has received such poor ratings (so far)

I will not give much away (and nor should you do much reading on the plot) because this is one of those movies where the less you know, the better it is. The settings are very simple yet effective. And with a storyline like this there was no need for all the mumbo jumbo CGI, special effects, blasts and the whole malarkey. There are so many twists in this film and you will be glued right on the get go.

When I first watched the film, there were no reviews/ratings available as it had just been released, so I was very much looking forward to the reviews and see that (not if) other viewers enjoyed it as much as I did. Now that I see the ratings, I felt compelled (like the other reviewers here) to urge people to watch it as it is truly a remarkable, original and SMART film. So please, do yourself a favour and watch it- you will NOT be disappointed!

The Suspect is one of the movies that has intriguing hook right from the start. It shrewdly fiddles with the timeline back and forth, giving just enough information as it goes and revealing timely revelations later on. Whereas other thrillers might offer aggressive approach, The Suspect bids its time with apt performance by its cast along with the premise of social manipulation.

A sheriff in small town arrests a man after bank robbery. This particular suspect only has one identifiable feature that allegedly implicates him, his dark skin. Since it's the farthest thing from CSI, the sheriff must determine if this suspect is indeed the felon. The strange dynamic concept spirals further as there are a lot of questions concerning his behavior, which might not be so accommodating. The movie's biggest strength is its social and psychological aspects, these are easily identifiable to audience as well as meticulously scripted.

Acting is fine, with the cast looking beyond their stereotypical roles as they try to outwit each other. Cinematography isn't grandiose as the movie sets almost entirely in rural town. In fact it's exclusively shot only in a few major sets and the rest is ordinary road or outdoor. This is made cleverly into an advantage since the movie probably wouldn't work with bolder setting. The camera-work itself is good, opting more for precision than flair.

The change in pace flows adequately well with smart script to guide it. Some scenes pique curiosity while a few others are surprisingly humorous. One drawback from this shifting pace is it can be confusing at times, also towards the end the narration is slightly heavy-handed. The development could be smoother as some of the scenes may be foreshadowing. Nevertheless, the movie maintains a balanced focus through its run time.

The Suspect is a different type of thriller, it delivers an alternative and restrained story. If this is a book, which we should never judge by its cover, it would be a pop-up book due to series of trickery it has stored inside.

Some of us while watching a film, look for unpredictability, and on my opinion 95 per cent of the movies are about the same, crime with a cliché, zombie with a cliché, etc... with a cliché, and when you find an argument that is telling you nothing, I mean teasing you with the same question: "What is really happening here?" and then immerse and interest you without giving a real clue, that's what I CALL A GOOD ONE!

I came into "The suspect" waiting for something that would turn off my attention within fifteen minutes, instead, after an hour or so, I was with eyes glued to the screen, no blood, no shootings, no CGI, but a story, not build in great suspense, but properly elaborated, and I wondered how come movies like this fall into the great pit of indifference... because most moviegoers are lazy and dumb? The acting is good, at moments like watching live theater, more interestingly the plot takes a turn as if Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad) had something to do with it.

The writer and director's name is STUART CONELLY and hopefully his work catches the attention of a TV network, or a big movie studio, because frankly, we need more intelligent movies like "THE SUSPECT"

My recommendation is: watch this movie of you are looking for a smart and twisted ending! And as always no spoilers in here.

I was certainly entertained by the movie. Since the synopsis has it, the fact that the two black guys are university professors/researchers is not a spoiler. The other twists are interesting enough. The premise holds your interest through its run time, and the film doesn't run too long.

One minor issue was all of the jump backs in time. It was a little much to keep track of what is present day vs. past.

The BIG issue is that (and this is not spoiler either) even if they returned the money and explained themselves, they still committed a crime. It's a little far-fetched that they would be let off scot-free by multiple cities, EVEN when the nature of their study is explained (the race card stuff). I get that they want you to think that they are let go because of the explanation and the notion that if the race stuff got out, it would make the cops look bad, so they just let them go.

It's somewhat of a clever script, I'll give them that, and the performances are good. I'm giving it 6/10 out because 5 is average and this is ever-so-slightly above that, but this isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's an entertaining watch if you can see it for free or very low cost.