Feb 18, 2024
The Suspect (1944)
"Don't you think that an innocent man might be more tolerant in the cause of justice?"
"No, I don't. I think an innocent man might behave precisely as I have."
"Well, I'm sorry, but I can't agree with you."
"Why don't you arrest me? Here I am."
"I'd like to, believe me, but unfortunately I can't."
"No, you've run against a blank wall. You take my advice and don't beat your head against it."
#the suspect#1944#film noir#american cinema#robert siodmak#bertram millhauser#arthur t. horman#james ronald#charles laughton#ella raines#dean harens#stanley ridges#henry daniell#rosalind ivan#molly lamont#raymond severn#eve amber#maude eburne#clifford brooke#frank skinner#period noir set in Olde Londone Towne (and pulling it off better than some contemporaries; looking at you‚ Kiss the Blood off my Hands)#held together by a brilliant Laughton performance; often accused of going Ham‚ he's beautifully contained here‚ a quiet‚ dignified#depiction of a decent man driven to indecent acts. he's the broad shoulders this fairly familiar tale rests on‚ tho lent able support by#the stunningly beautiful Ella Raines as the gal who wins his heart. Siodmak's direction is unflashy for the most part but there's a couple#of beautifully executed setpieces‚ including Ridges' asshat cop staging an impromptu reenactment of the killing and a tense 'hide the body'#moment involving a mischievous kitten (every film is made ten times better by the inclusion of a mischievous kitten)#more of a character piece than a plot driven noir‚ but i think all the better for that; as a psyche study it's in some ways ahead of the#game in this genre. ymmv of course; @bimbobussy was not overly impressed and found Laughton's character to be too#objectionable to be truly sympathetic...
