NipPierce Wow, this is a REALLY bad movie!

Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

FilmAlicia This review includes a plot synopsis that may spoil the film for those who don't want to know anything in advance.Charles Laughton is simply wonderful in Robert Siodmak's morality tale, as a good man who is driven to crime by the wickedness of others. The ruthlessness with which he commits his crimes is only matched by the lengths to which he goes to in order to protect those he loves and to shield the innocent from harm. I just saw "The Suspect" at a Film Noir festival. I loved the film, and found the conclusion heartbreaking and perfect. There is something almost fairy tale-like about the story, and I was reminded, for some reason, of the Alastair Sim version of "A Christmas Carol." Unfortunately, "The Suspect" is not on DVD in the United States, and is hard to find, but I believe it would surely merit repeated viewings if it was.

bkoganbing I finally got to see The Suspect one of the few Charles Laughton films I had not yet seen. I was totally bowled over by what he did in this film. It's really what film acting is all about, every breath, every nuance, every gesture is carefully delineated and brought to the screen. Laughton had a reputation for driving some of his directors a little nuts with his perfectionism and maybe he did to Robert Siodmark here. I prefer to think the two of them collaborated on a masterpiece.The setting is Edwardian London in 1902. From outward appearances Laughton is a happy man, making a good living with a wife and a grown son. But he is married to one shrew of a woman he's put up with for over 20 years. He's ripe for a midlife crisis and ripe to stray. But a friendship he develops with pretty young Ella Raines recently hired at Laughton's office drives wife Rosalind Ivan up a wall. Later on Ivan dies as a result of a fall down the house stairs. Nobody can prove one way or the other whether it was murder. Scotland Yard's Stanley Ridges is up a wall with it.Laughton and Ivan have a couple of neighbors, married couple Henry Daniell and Molly Lamont. When Ridges confides in Daniell during the course of the investigation, he inadvertently sets the stage for tragedy. Daniell himself says he's a 'total rotter' and proves it the audience's satisfaction. The Suspect is one of many films based on the famous Dr. Crippen murder which was also in the same period. The only fault with the film is that the rest of the cast is fairly one dimensional in their characters next to Charles Laughton. But if you are a Laughton fan, this film is an absolute must.

Alex da Silva Philip Marshall (Charles Laughton) is trapped in a loveless marriage and his wife Cora (Rosalind Ivan) refuses to grant him a divorce. He meets Mary (Ella Raines) and they embark on a romance of friendship before he puts an end to it because of his married status. Meanwhile, Cora has discovered the secret and jumps to a wrong conclusion vowing to humiliate both him and Mary in both their workplaces and their social sets. Cora has an accident and dies. Phillip and Mary are now free to live together but Inspector Huxley (Stanley Ridges) suspects murder.This is an atmospheric thriller where the viewer is in complete sympathy with the suspect. The cast are all very good with the exception of John Marshall (Dean Harens) and his annoying girlfriend. Why has he got an American accent when he is supposed to be English? Anyway, the rest of the cast give their characters real depth so that we dislike those that we are meant to - Rosalind Ivan as Laughton's wife and neighbour Gilbert (Henry Daniell) - and like the main characters of Laughton and Raines.....and you always think "Oh no" whenever Inspector Huxley appears on the scene.......if only he wasn't so inquisitive and determined.........It's a good film and Laughton is both funny and charming - the scenes between him and his wife are very entertaining.

MartinHafer I love a good suspenseful movie--particularly one where you find yourself rooting for the murderer! Charles Laughton plays a humble little man with a shrew for a wife. She is just plain mean and rotten and really needs to be killed! Any way, Laughton meets a nice young lady but does not cheat on his wife--they are just platonic friends at this point. You seem to understand that Laughton WANTS to make take this relationship to a deeper level, but his sense of decency prevents him from cheating on his wife--even if she is meaner than Godzilla. The shrew finds out about this friendship and delights in announcing she will use ALL her energy to destroy this decent woman. At this moment, Laughton has finally been pushed too far and he kills her (hooray).The police do not suspect foul play and Laughton seems to have gotten away with it--and the viewer will find themselves pulling for him! However, the evil neighbor stumbles upon the truth and blackmails Laughton. So, you grow to REALLY hate this neighbor and when Laughton subsequently poisons him, once again you are cheering for him to get away with murder! I won't give away the very end of the picture, but I like that Laughton's inherent decency comes through. Two murders and BOTH seem very justified---now that's a creative twist!