Suspect

Suspect

23/10/1987 2h 1m 6.6/10

Overview

When a Supreme Court judge commits suicide and his secretary is found murdered, all fingers point to Carl Anderson, a homeless veteran who's deaf and mute. But when public defender Kathleen Riley is assigned to his case, she begins to believe that Anderson may actually be innocent. Juror Eddie Sanger, a Washington lobbyist, agrees, and together the pair begins their own investigation of events.

Director

Peter Yates

Top Billed Cast

Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson

Carl Wayne Anderson

Dennis Quaid

Dennis Quaid

Eddie Sanger

Joe Mantegna

Joe Mantegna

Charlie Stella

John Mahoney

John Mahoney

Judge Matthew Bishop Helms

Cher

Cher

Kathleen Riley

Philip Bosco

Philip Bosco

Paul Gray

Reviews

John Chard

5/5/2019

7/10

The innocent shall know the glory of heaven! Peter Yates directs and Eric Roth writes the screenplay. It stars Cher, Dennis Quaid, Liam Neeson, John Mahoney and Joe Mantegna. Music is by Michael Kamen and cinematography by Billy Williams. Pot has Cher as a public defender tasked with defending a deaf and mute homeless man accused of murder. It's a solid legal eagle thriller is this, it opens with a dramatic suicide and the discovery of a woman's dead body, and then runs through many of the staples of feature film courtroom shenanigans. There's some spice thrown in for good measure as the lawyer and a member of the jury get too close for comfort, while the central premise of a deaf and mute person being the accused makes for fascinating viewing - the makers obviously having a social awareness of the issue. As the mystery to be solved question holds the attention, pic does descend into the realm of the far fetched with the behaviour of Cher and Quaid's characters. It's also not something of a shock once the big reveal arrives. Yet this has enough savvy performances, nice technical touches (William's cinematography sparkles at times) and a strong pot boiling premise, to make it well worth the time invested with it. 7/10

Similar Movies

The Devil's Advocate

7.5

The Devil's Advocate

1997

The Sea Inside

7.6

The Sea Inside

2004

The Lives of Others

8.0

The Lives of Others

2006

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

7.2

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

1998

To Kill a Mockingbird

8.0

To Kill a Mockingbird

1962

Bridget Jones's Diary

6.7

Bridget Jones's Diary

2001

Inherit the Wind

7.7

Inherit the Wind

1960

Good Morning, Vietnam

7.3

Good Morning, Vietnam

1987

A History of Violence

7.2

A History of Violence

2005

Judgment at Nuremberg

8.0

Judgment at Nuremberg

1961

We Shall Overcome

7.2

We Shall Overcome

2006

A Fish Called Wanda

7.2

A Fish Called Wanda

1988

Absolute Power

6.7

Absolute Power

1997

Anatomy of a Murder

7.8

Anatomy of a Murder

1959

Short Working Day

6.4

Short Working Day

1995