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The Suspect

Play trailer Poster for The Suspect 1944 1h 25m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 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.

Critics Reviews

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Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl 02/13/2021
6/10
...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 ... Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 02/12/2021
3/4
This unsung treat is one of those films where - Heaven help us - our sympathies rest entirely with a murderer. Go to Full Review
Fernando F. Croce CinePassion 11/25/2011
Homicide in fin de sicle London, a Siodmak formulation Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 01/23/2011
B-
Theatrical studio-bound minor film noir. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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James E 11/14/2024 A very fine period piece from London at the turn of the century. Charles Laughton is excellent in the role of a "hen picked" husband with a shrew of a wife. It was an enjoyable watch. Highly Recommended. See more Bill B 10/18/2023 Slow paced, rather predictable film about a man driven to murder. Passable. See more william d @acsdoug 05/08/2021 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. See more 02/20/2021 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. See more paul d @PaulusLoZebra 03/17/2020 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. See more andy f 08/28/2019 Another great Charles Laughton movie and he's arguably at his best in this dark yet touching thriller. See more Read all reviews
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
Producer
Islin Auster
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 25m