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      The Suspect

      1944 1h 25m Mystery & Thriller List
      Reviews 74% Audience Score 100+ Ratings Genial shopkeeper Philip (Charles Laughton) has to endure the constant nagging of a shrewish wife (Rosalind Ivan) while he secretly yearns for a pretty young stenographer (Ella Raines). When the henpecking gets to be too much, Philip murders his wife and manages to make her death look like an accident. A ruthless blackmailer (Henry Daniell) and a low-key detective (Stanley Ridges) both discover Philip's secret, and he has to decide which of them poses the more dangerous threat. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl ...most interesting as a product of its time, and as an example of a film that showed off the strong points of the studio system-a ready supply of talented actors, reliably good sets and props, and fine technical work ... Rated: 6/10 Feb 13, 2021 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy This unsung treat is one of those films where - Heaven help us - our sympathies rest entirely with a murderer. Rated: 3/4 Feb 12, 2021 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Homicide in fin de sicle London, a Siodmak formulation Nov 25, 2011 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Theatrical studio-bound minor film noir. Rated: B- Jan 23, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Bill B Slow paced, rather predictable film about a man driven to murder. Passable. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/18/23 Full Review william k Strong moralistic melodrama with a superb Charles Laughton in the title role is nicely set and photographed in turn of the century London. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review william d I enjoyed this one a lot. The dialog is on the money and Director Siodmak keeps a steady suspenseful tone throughout. Laughton is his usual excellent self, but Rosalind Ivan as the shrewish wife also deserves a tip o' the hat. I wanted to kill her myself. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The quality of The Suspect is entirely dependent on the performance of Charles Laughton. Thankfully, he is a legendary talent and can perfectly execute this character. He makes Philip a man who seems somewhat timid, but exceedingly kind. Yet at the same time there is an edge to the character that makes it believable he might be capable of a heinous crime. If there was one thing I wish came into play more in the film, it would be that they sustain the question of whether or not Philip was guilty for a longer period of time. I know Laughton could have done this tightrope walk of a performance which would leave the audience questioning whether they should trust him, and that kind of murder mystery is more interesting to me. The Suspect doesn’t contain a ton of surprises, and that means the plot is a bit predictable. I felt like I had seen this kind of movie before, however this was a stellar example of the story. Alongside the brilliant Charles Laughton was a superb performance from Stanley Ridges as the detective investigating a death. In fact, any mystery or surprise that came into the movie was brought in by him. There was actually one scene towards the end where the movie caught me off guard, and left me guessing for a moment, and I think Ridges’ performance was what sold it for me. While there is a chance that you’ve seen a movie with some similarities to The Suspect, I still would recommend people check it out. Even if it is familiar, it does the tropes with great style and class. Also, it has slipped into the public domain, so you can watch it free on Youtube. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/21 Full Review paul d A very good British melodrama murder mystery played out mostly in drawing rooms and close ups. Charles Laughton was outstanding, and Ella Raines was surprisingly nuanced and convincing in what might have been a superficial role. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review martin a Charles Laughton, Ella Raines, Dean Harens, Stanley Ridges, Henry Daniell, Rosalind Ivan are all fantastic in this, A decent man is driven to kill his evil wife and is then hounded by a detective and blackmailed by his drunken neighbor who he ends up killing, the problem is his wife is blamed for his murder, and she is lovely, and a victim of domestic violence. A great film Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Suspect

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Genial shopkeeper Philip (Charles Laughton) has to endure the constant nagging of a shrewish wife (Rosalind Ivan) while he secretly yearns for a pretty young stenographer (Ella Raines). When the henpecking gets to be too much, Philip murders his wife and manages to make her death look like an accident. A ruthless blackmailer (Henry Daniell) and a low-key detective (Stanley Ridges) both discover Philip's secret, and he has to decide which of them poses the more dangerous threat.
      Director
      Robert Siodmak
      Genre
      Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      English
      Runtime
      1h 25m