Suspended Alibi

Suspended Alibi is a quite acceptable murder mystery. The story is of a newspaper editor whose attempts to prove an alibi for a murder are made more difficult by his infidelity. His situation is further complicated when his mistress is also murdered. After being convicted, he is saved by some unlikely evidence, in the form of a propelling pencil. The film is better than average because of some of its more creative film techniques (fast fades and close ups), and by the fact that the mystery is solved, but there is no final resolution.

A rather civilized little film, well-crafted and scripted in a polished but understated way, and populated with good actors. A husband in a rather morally complex situation finds himself suspected of a murder, and additional complications ensue in a well-nuanced and believable fashion. The story is told economically and intimately, with both momentum and narrative skill. While in every way a B-picture, it's a class effort, containing all the usual trappings of a British drama involving murder and "the Yard" yet managing to sidestep expected clichés or stereotypical characters. It was clearly shot inexpensively, 95% on the soundstage, and yet its occasional exteriors were well-chosen and effectively integrated to represent the characters who supposedly live within the various buildings. Indeed the entire production seems informed by intelligent choices by all concerned.

Perhaps not quite "a classic," but certainly a good, solid British noir well worth a look. It's enjoyable and rather satisfying in its own modestly distinctive way. An additional and notable highlight is a young Honor Blackman at her most radiantly beautiful in a distinctively three-dimensional portrayal of the wife of the suspect.

The first half of this movie was quite good with an intriguing plot and good characters. But the second half strained credibility. The evidences didn't fully work for me. And the ending was rushed. The acting was good. Andrew Kier was unrecognizable from his later roles as Professor Quatermass. Overall it's still an enjoyable viewing.

"Suspended Alibi" is a fairly interesting mystery with some moments of suspense, and some interesting characters, but it is pulled down by relying too heavily on implausible developments.

The beginning is interesting, and creates lots of possibilities. A married editor (Patrick Holt) is having an affair with a female reporter, and has been using an old army friend as an alibi, telling his wife that he is with the friend while he really visits his girlfriend. But one night his army friend turns up murdered, and suspicion naturally rests on the editor.

The story that follows has some moments of good suspense, as the editor tries to clear himself in the face of strong skepticism about his alibi. The editor's wife, his nosy neighbors, and some of his loyal employees from his publication also get involved. The main problem is that too much of what develops is based on coincidence or on other unlikely plot elements, and it keeps this from being a really good mystery. (This comment won't give away anything by mentioning specifics - if you see it, you can decide for yourself how plausible it all is.)

The story still has some good moments, and many mystery/suspense fans will still find it worth watching. Once you are involved, you will probably want to stay until the end to find out what happens.

Patrick Holt is married to Honor Blackman, lucky man, but has been carrying on an affair with Naomi Chance. He tells his wife he has been going around to play cards with an old army buddy... who is murdered. Miss Chance initially refuses to admit Holt was with her that night, so Holt is thrown in jail. When she changes her story, they're skeptical.

Besides emphasizing how wrong it is to step out on a Bond Girl, it's a rather civilized little mystery, as the police go about their jobs in a very civilized way, leaving the audience to wonder who actually committed the murder and how the police are going to identify the killer when they've got such an obvious suspect. It's a nice little mystery, but fa more terrifying to an American who thinks that the police are less interested in finding the truth than in getting a conviction.