By Adam Bramwell
Alfred Hithcock's "Suspicion" is a film I downloaded a while back in a collection of his movies that didn't come with my DVD boxset. I've been meaning to watch it for a while but have been watching more recent movies as of late such as "The Departed", "Se7en" and "The Usual Suspects". I recently decided to watch this, after I watched Hitchcock's "The Wrong Man" (which disappointed me, despite fans claiming it is one of his best pictures). This film is exactly what I needed to restore that great feeling I got from watching the majority of the Hitchcock films I've seen, with the elements he is know for like the obvious being suspense. From start to finish the film is thoroughly enjoyable and contains elements of comedy as well as the creepiness that is evident because of the storyline.
Cary Grant plays Johnnie, who marries a woman called Lina (Joan Fontaine), who he refers to as "Monkey Face" since their first date, and then on for the entire film. I couldn't help but find this hilarious because it was so stupid that she just accepted it. The film is basically about Lina's ongoing suspicion about Johnnie's behavior. He plays a charming character yet seems to be lying to her about his financial situation and provides us with some odd behaviour, which leads her to believe that he is going to kill her. Throughout the film I found myself asking "what is she doing, she should just go straight to the police". When I discovered the twist at the end I was extremely surprised and impressed in the way I was lead to believe what Hitchcock wanted me to believe, yet the explanation is so simple. A solid film which I honestly couldn't find fault in, I would place this up there with my Hitchcock favorites, on the same level as "Spellbound" and "Strangers on a Train". The comedy factor in parts, especially with Johnnie's friend Beaky who appears quite a lot during in the film, make it feel light hearted in places, despite the fact it is still an impressive underrated thriller.
Extra notes: I have just found out, looking at other reviews that the ending isn't the one that was originally planned. This however does not change my view on the film because the ending was one of the main factors to why I really liked it. You can find details on the other ending here.
IMDB Score: 7.6 My Score: 8.3
Cary Grant plays Johnnie, who marries a woman called Lina (Joan Fontaine), who he refers to as "Monkey Face" since their first date, and then on for the entire film. I couldn't help but find this hilarious because it was so stupid that she just accepted it. The film is basically about Lina's ongoing suspicion about Johnnie's behavior. He plays a charming character yet seems to be lying to her about his financial situation and provides us with some odd behaviour, which leads her to believe that he is going to kill her. Throughout the film I found myself asking "what is she doing, she should just go straight to the police". When I discovered the twist at the end I was extremely surprised and impressed in the way I was lead to believe what Hitchcock wanted me to believe, yet the explanation is so simple. A solid film which I honestly couldn't find fault in, I would place this up there with my Hitchcock favorites, on the same level as "Spellbound" and "Strangers on a Train". The comedy factor in parts, especially with Johnnie's friend Beaky who appears quite a lot during in the film, make it feel light hearted in places, despite the fact it is still an impressive underrated thriller.
Extra notes: I have just found out, looking at other reviews that the ending isn't the one that was originally planned. This however does not change my view on the film because the ending was one of the main factors to why I really liked it. You can find details on the other ending here.
IMDB Score: 7.6 My Score: 8.3
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