Review of Under Suspicion

SPOILERS ---- What amazes me is how many of you viewers are so quick to condemn this movie because you just don't get it. Do movies always have to wrap things up into tight little packages for them to be workthwile? Personally, I prefer movies that require you to think a little after it is over to allow you to come up with what you think is the real meaning to all of it. Under Suspicion is that kind of movie. It was pretty obvious to me that the movie wasn't as much a murder mystery as much as it was about a man struggling with his own personal demons, in particular, the loss of the love of his life and his obsession with young women. If you've ever been in a relationship that ends poorly but you still are in love with that person, you might understand. It is quite obvious to me that Hackman's character is in love with young (very young) beauty. That is his flaw. His stumbling during the investigations is a direct result of his attempt to hide that flaw and to reveal very personal things about his life and relationship with his wife. His obsession about young women is why he had the photographs of them and why he knew one of them. By telling the truth, he would have to reveal this obsession. His wife has her own problems, that is the green monster he was talking about - jealousy. She knows him too well that she fears that as she ages, she will lose him to younger girls. She allows this obsession of hers to take over her reason and let's it destroy her relationship with her husband. In the end, Hackman's character is a lost puppy, weak and pathetic, because he is unwilling to let go of a lost love as he still loves her deeply and is in denial of the fact that she won't come back to him. He is holding on to that shred of hope that she will realize the error of her ways and love him again. But she can't do that. In the end when he finally realizes that she actually believes in his guilt and helped to find the "evidence" against him, he finally realizes and accepts that she will never overcome her jealousy and come back. So, he has nothing to live for and he confesses, mostly to get back at her I think. By confessing, he will ruin her too as she will lose all social standing she has, etc. And I think there is some self-pugilizing too. I think he may also be trying to punish himself for being such a fool for her and for his obsession with young women. The interrogation may have convinced him that he was wrong for having this obsession, so his confessing accomplishes both - punishing her and himself. In the end, she realizes her mistake and even contemplates suicide, but decides to try to make up for it and come back to him. He, however, actually has made some progress by finally being able to let her go and rejects him. She ends up losing in the end and he gains some self respect. At least that is where I think the movie goes.

A couple of small points that people are making. I am not sure why Puerto Rico was picked. Except maybe to add some irony by injecting an exotic locale. I don't think that choice is necessarily a good one, not necessarily a bad choice either. But it doesn't work well and it may have been the director's choice not to exploit that. Maybe the book got into it deeper. Also, the friendship between Freeman's character and Hackman's obviously took place much earlier in their lives. It appeared to me that they had really be estranged for a long time leading different lives, his in the wealthy, social world, Freeman in the working class world. They knew a little about each other, but not the details. I do think they could have expanded on this a little more for development though.

Overall, I think this is a very good movie and worth seeing if not for Freeman and especially Hackman's performances. Hackman doesn't often do a movie where he plays a vulnerable character.