Under Suspicion (2000)

49% of critics liked it
(45 reviews)
47% of users liked it
(7,922 ratings)

When a powerful man is accused of murder, who tells the truth -- the man, or his estranged wife? Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman), an American attorney living in Puerto Rico, is called in to speak with police detective Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman). A few days earlier, Hearst reported finding the body… More When a powerful man is accused of murder, who tells the truth -- the man, or his estranged wife? Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman), an American attorney living in Puerto Rico, is called in to speak with police detective Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman). A few days earlier, Hearst reported finding the body of a 12-year-old girl while taking his dog for a walk; however, investigators now believe that Hearst may have had a greater involvement in the crime than he's admitting. Under intense questioning by a confident young cop named Owens (Thomas Jane) and gentler but firm interrogation from Benezet, several cracks begin to appear in Hearst's story, but he's able to persuade the police to allow him to leave long enough to take part in a fund-raising function he'd promised to attend. However, upon his return, Hearst discovers that Benezet and Owens have been questioning someone else -- his wife Chantal (Monica Bellucci), who has been on poor terms with her husband for some time. Under Suspicion was based on the novel Brainwash by John Wainwright, which was previously filmed by French director Claude Miller as Garde a vue. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Stephen Hopkins
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Sep 22, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Jan 2, 2001
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Paul Tatara, CNN.com
Too tawdry to be completely entertaining, and too static to generate much excitement.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Hackman and Freeman will pin you to your seat.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Keeps you guessing right up to a wallop of a finish.
Henry Cabot Beck, Film.com
A decent, smart, well-acted film.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
It's hard to imagine anyone walking out of this movie satisfied, regardless of Hackman's and Freeman's solid performances.
Clint Morris, Film Threat
A powerhouse.....the acting will knock your socks off!
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
The cast makes it watchable, which is good because little else does.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...at nearly two hours, it's just too much of a good thing.
James Rocchi, Netflix
Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman can't save "Whodunit?" from becoming "Who cares?"
Rob Vaux, Flipside Movie Emporium
Under Suspicion works less as an absorbing story than an absorbing work of craftsmanship.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast:Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Monica Bellucci, Nydia Caro, Miguel Ángel Suárez, Pablo Cunqueiro, Isabel Algaze, Jacqueline Duprey Director:Stephen Hopkins Summary: This remake of a 1981 French thriller chronicles the harrowing experience of Henry Hearst (Gene… More
Cast:Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Monica Bellucci, Nydia Caro, Miguel Ángel Suárez, Pablo Cunqueiro, Isabel Algaze, Jacqueline Duprey Director:Stephen Hopkins Summary: This remake of a 1981 French thriller chronicles the harrowing experience of Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman), a tax lawyer vacationing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, who discovers the body of a murdered 12-year-old and promptly becomes the main suspect. Local cops Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman) and Detective Owens (Thomas Jane) will stop at nothing to catch their man, and Hearst must convince them they're mistaken. Who's telling the truth? My Thoughts: "I thought it was an interesting mystery thriller. You have two greats going at it, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. I go back and forth from thinking he did to he didn't. My initial thought was no. Then they bring some uncertain topics up that make you think, "maybe". In the end I really liked how it played out and I was surprised by the ending. I found Thomas Jane to be a little over dramatic and his character to be annoying. But besides that, the acting was good from all."
danny d

decent flick. moves slowly at times and wasnt these actors best performances by any means, but it was interesting
Anthony L

One of the best thriller/Whodunits Ever!. It?s a pleasure to watch thanks to the 2 great leading men and the excellent direction! Brilliant!
familiar s

Pretty decent psychological thriller.
Red L

This is a very interesting movie - partially because it ends ambiguously. If you land up watching it, pay very close attention to the last scene in the police office, as I feel it is very important. Don't want to say more as I don't want to give away the story. Freeman,… More
This is a very interesting movie - partially because it ends ambiguously. If you land up watching it, pay very close attention to the last scene in the police office, as I feel it is very important. Don't want to say more as I don't want to give away the story. Freeman, Hackman and Bellucci give great performances. Usually I love thought provoking movies, but I found this one too vague. Watch it and form your own opinion.
Lady D

A unique investigation story into two young murdered girls, this is an extremely powerful and controversial part for Gene Hackman,which for me has to be his best role to date. The filming mainly takes part in one room, which is a hard thing to do, to keep the… More
A unique investigation story into two young murdered girls, this is an extremely powerful and controversial part for Gene Hackman,which for me has to be his best role to date. The filming mainly takes part in one room, which is a hard thing to do, to keep the concentration of the audience, but apart from the first five minutes (just warming up) I was drawn to the story all the way through. There were some clever little flashbacks based on hypothesis which worked really well. This is my second viewing of the film and I enjoyed it probably more than the first time, as my rating has gone up. This definitely has my recommendation.
The S

No one comes out of this completely untarnished in a film devoted to the frailty and imperfection of the human condition. Save for several flashback scenes, it could easily have been a stage play relying heavily, as it does, on the close, tense and often claustrophobic interactions of… More
No one comes out of this completely untarnished in a film devoted to the frailty and imperfection of the human condition. Save for several flashback scenes, it could easily have been a stage play relying heavily, as it does, on the close, tense and often claustrophobic interactions of its heavyweight cast. Not always a comfortable experience but well worth the effort.
hawk l

Minimalist drama with a surprising lot to say about betrayal, perception, character, and as the potboiler ending nears, the weight of suspicion itself. Has an inventive use of static, stagebound settings, and Gene Hackman gives a tour-de-force performance.
Christopher B

Decent suspense drama with great performances, as to be expected.
Moe E

Let's see... Who's up for watching Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman go head-to-head in a murder mystery/psychological thriller? Hmmm... Did I mention that Monica Bellucci stars, also? And she looks outstanding! Oh, yeah...there's also Thomas Jane for you ladies.