Guilty by Suspicion poster & wallpaper

Annette Bening, George Wendt, Luke Edwards

A fictional dramatization of the anti-Communist witch-hunts that plagued the U.S. during the late 1940s and early '50s, Guilty by Suspicion examines one of the most shameful periods of American...( read more  read more... ) history. After producing such prominent films as Rocky and Raging Bull, Irwin Winkler made his directorial debut with this 1991 drama, basing his screenplay on the harsh reality of the blacklisting era. Set during 1951, when the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) held hearings to target alleged Communist affiliations within the Hollywood filmmaking community, the film stars Robert De Niro as a prominent director who is urged to "name names" to appease the committee. Rather than betray one of his closest friends, he refuses to "cooperate" with the committee and is quickly blacklisted, his entire career in jeopardy. Costarring Annette Bening as the director's sympathetic ex-wife, the film doesn't pack the emotional punch of The Front (another blacklisting-era film, starring Woody Allen), but Winkler captures the paranoid anxiety of the period with a wealth of authentic detail. Because the De Niro character underestimates the power of the HUAC, we share his shock and dismay when he must finally face the committee. Without seeming like a dry history lesson, Guilty by Suspicion illuminates the unconstitutional evil of the blacklist era while offering a glimpse behind the scenes of Hollywood's past. Adding to the realism, director Martin Scorsese makes a rare cameo as another filmmaker under fire. Although Winkler's script and direction are perhaps too melodramatic, Guilty by Suspicion was clearly made with noble purpose and intention. For anyone interested in the blacklisting era and Hollywood history, this movie's a must-see. --Jeff Shannon

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50% liked it

2,640 ratings

PG-13, 105 min.

Directed by: Irwin Winkler

Release Date: March 15, 1991

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DVD Release Date: June 1, 2004

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Flixster Reviews (79)

  • kiriyamakazou
    June 25, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    De Niro gives his best if most underrated performance. The film however never quite reaches the true levels of paranoia you would expect. It does however show these events happening to very real characters. It's certainly an emotional journey as we see their lives fall apart. Unf...( read more)ortunately it is slightly over melodramatic in its presentation.
  • DangerMagnet
    September 23, 2007
    DangerMagnet
    had to watch it for history class and thought it was good. i love robert de niro.
  • 76Majikat
    July 7, 2007
    76Majikat
    I got lost and distracted many times during this film, but the last half an hour, seemed to hold my attention.

    I wasn't aware of the 'Blacklist era' or the story behind it, but I'm sure both Robert De Niro and Annette Benning's performances will have served the story well
  • threefolddado
    May 16, 2008
    threefolddado
    Should have been better.
  • phbasketball6
    August 10, 2009
    phbasketball6
    Great courtroom drama film. Robert De Niro did a great job in this.
  • Soundsofmadness
    January 10, 2009
    Soundsofmadness
    No thankyou - Not interested.
  • jjnxn
    January 6, 2009
    jjnxn
    Interesting drama of a dark, shameful period of America's history, the McCarthy blacklist, and the toll it took on decent people. Uniformally excellent performances. It would be nice to think the venality of the committee members was a dramatic exaggeration but sadly it was all t...( read more)o real.
  • juleskerr
    September 1, 2008
    juleskerr
    A great movie, a must see.
  • centralperk1
    May 17, 2008
    centralperk1
    An intelligent movie that gives you an impression of McCarthy's censorship in the 1950. However, I didn't get pulled into it that much...
  • MECreviews
    March 21, 2008
    MECreviews
    This movie is ok. Nothing that spectacular though.

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