The Suspect
The Suspect
| 23 January 2013 (USA)
The Suspect Trailers

Two African American social scientists pose as bank robbers in an effort to understand the racial dynamics of small-town law enforcement. However, their experiment takes an unplanned turn.

Reviews
NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!
Dorathen Better Late Then Never
filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Kam Kam SPOILER ALERT!!What made the film good is that you don't realize what the film is about until the end. Yes, it started off as a social experiment on racism, only to find out it wasn't really an experiment at all. They actually were robbing the banks and replacing the money with counterfeit and returning the money to the sheriff to be released from custody. Here's the twist: it was never about them robbing the bank in the first place. That was the back up plan. The plan was for the main character to be killed so that his family can receive the insurance money. He would go to small towns in the Deep South where racism is very much still alive and try to provoke the sheriff into killing him. If the sheriff followed protocol and let him go, then the back up plan was to accumulate enough money for his daughter's medical expenses through the bank robberies.There were several "twists" in the film. 1)One being that they weren't actually conducting an experiment, but really robbing the bank. 2)The obviously racist sheriff in the first experiment let them go, but the seemingly good sheriff in the second experiment that is just following protocol is actually the guy that kills him. 3) The actual plan was for him to be killed all along, robbing banks was just the back up plan.The film was good. It takes a little intelligence to understand it, which made it even better.P.S: in response to one review that posed several questions as to the logic in the film: Yes there are cliffs in the Midwest but that is not the setting of the film. The film is set in the South and yes there are cliffs there too. As to how the tire blew out and the guy lost control of his vehicle: the racist rednecks outside the gas station damaged his tire while he was inside paying for his glasses. Yes, the sheriff would report that they died in the car crash so as to end the case and yes a person can be identified when burned by their dental records.
fhjablonski First, let me say that I can't believe some users are posting such low reviews after having admitted to not even seeing the entire movie. They must be impressively psychic to know exactly how the movie ends without watching it all the way through! Their scores make the movie seem bad to others that may only just look at the composite score out of 10, when in actuality it is a very gripping and intriguing movie. Advice: Don't initially look too much into the plot (watch it cold like I did). Just sit back and enjoy everything as it unfolds. Don't judge anything while watching or wonder what makes sense or not. Don't try and scan for possible continuity errors. Don't mindlessly check Facebook or casually invest your attention to this movie. Don't think you know it all or are better than everyone (or possibly just better than everyone you are watching). Just watch and take it all in... This movie does all of the thinking for you and will even remind you as it goes with brief flashbacks to something a character has said. Save all of the aforementioned "don'ts" for when the credits roll and only then should you reflect back on the movie to gauge whether or not it was a valid use of your time and attention.I stumbled across it on Netflix and put it on very late into the night (actually, early morning) expecting it to be just the sleeping pill I needed. To my surprise, I remained riveted as the sun rose on the next day. Oops! Anyway, I'm glad I didn't miss out on this very smart film. Enjoy!
featheredsun This film has merits and problems, both, but in the end, it keeps your attention and makes you care about the characters and how the story is going to end.The acting is pretty solid and the pace is lean and appropriate.So it succeeds at a basic level.AND the subject matter is thought-provoking. This reviewer found himself looking at situations and behaviour with a keen eye toward subtext and meaning. I can't say more without spoiling it.As other reviewers have said, this is best viewed with a minimal or no previous understanding of the plot. Just enjoy the ride.
Suzanne Would highly recommend this film and agree with the other reviewer who said to watch it cold without knowing the plot. I am a die-hard movie goer and a tough critic and I loved this film. It is incredibly well- written, directed and produced. This movie feels like a delivery from a seasoned director and production team. Mekhi Phifer is outstanding. His character is smart and edgy. I thoroughly enjoyed every scene with him. Bill Sadler is eerily believable as a not-so-country-bumpkin cop trying to protect his town while trying to solve a crime. The ending is a stunner.The film quality feels like a Hollywood blockbuster in terms of shooting, editing and story line, not an Indie film shot in rural Pennsylvania.Intelligent and gripping - one you will want to enjoy many times over.