The Suspects

When I accessed the reviews for Columbus Circle, I couldn't believe all the negativity surrounding this production. Apparently, after this was made, there was no studio willing to release it theatrically. It went straight to video. I sometimes don't listen to the multitude of reviews that surround a certain film, preferring to make my own opinion. After viewing this, I found it to be a surprisingly good and watchable film with a good story, good acting and good directing. This was an original story which had a good denouement, very satisfying. I suppose that there was not enough sex and violence in this production to serve the prurient tastes of the mass audience. Tastes have changed much in recent years and I guess that there isn't much of an audience for a film that does not rely on CGI effects or gratuitous sex and violence. I even liked the main title sequence, which would not have been out-of-place on a suspense film made in the fifties or sixties. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I liked this.

A good watch...not academy material but very entertaining. The plot may not exactly shine but the accomplished actors make up for its shortcomings. Only the directing could have made this a better film. Character development could have been better as well but is average considering the run time.

This won't exactly be on rotation in my movie library but I could stand to watch this more than once.

I don't know why this hasn't gotten better reviews. I hear all the complaints but if you actually watched this movie and LISTENED to what the actors said you might have enjoyed it more.

Considering the initially negative but not very eloquent comments about this movie but the promising trailer, I figured I might be in for a pleasant surprise.

Unfortunately, that was not really the case. And I would usually not review a movie like this because it is neither something I would recommend, nor something I would recommend to stay away from.

Yes, the premise is nothing new (but how many movies each year does one see where that is really the case?) and the acting is cringe-worthy in a lot of places (I especially could not believe the performance in some of Selma Blair's and Amy Smart's scenes - both of whom I found great in virtually every movie I've seen them in) but still, I think it is a nice little story.

I find it ironic how people reviewing this call various elements stupid while at the same time lacking the ability to comprehend Selma Blair's character. Especially considering that it is really very simple from a logical point of view. I don't see a point writing a review that contains spoilers, so I won't say anything more about this. But as always, a little empathy goes a long way and will make the viewer realize the motivations for certain things happening. Although I will not deny that some of them seem odd, rushed, out of character at first glance, many of these can be explained if given just a bit of thought.

Overall, I would say that it is a mildly amusing but pretty forgettable movie that is probably best experienced when not paying full attention to it.

The story might be so predictable that it could actually hurt you, but the movie is still really entertaining. Maybe you have to have a little love (in you) for those kinds of thrillers, but the actors are giving their best with the material they have. Jason Lee might actually be the weak link here, but it's the character that doesn't seem to suit him. He tried something different, but I'm pretty sure most people will find him not convincing enough.

You could read a bit of social critic in this I guess, if you wanted to, but I saw it more as an entertaining thriller than anything else. The ending might not be to everyone's taste (morally or otherwise), but I thought it was a nice fit.

I agree with another reviewer who compared this to a Good Hitchcock Movie; found it to be suspenseful enough to keep me interested in wanting to know more.

Maybe I'm not as sophisticated as some movie critics, but to me even mediocre actors can carry a Story, and hold my attention; IMO all the Actors did their 'job' and got the Story told.

The 90 or so minutes helps also; so if you can sit through movies on TV or Cable, then you will not be disappointed sitting through this one.

Would I pay to see this, or watch it again? No, but I would recommend it to anybody who watches TV drams.

Want to add that I use IMDb for every Movie I am interested in, and think the service provided by IMDb is extremely helpful.