Suspect (1987)

Director:

Peter Yates

Writer:

Eric Roth (writer)

Release Date:

23 October 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

No matter the cost, No matter the danger. They will find the truth.

Plot:

A judge commits suicide, and his secretary is found murdered. A homeless deaf-mute man, Carl Anderson is arrested for her murder...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Suicide | Judge | Courtroom Drama | Deaf

Cast

Cher	...	Kathleen Riley
Dennis Quaid	...	Eddie Sanger
Liam Neeson	...	Carl Wayne Anderson
John Mahoney	...	Judge Matthew Bishop Helms
Joe Mantegna	...	Charlie Stella
Philip Bosco	...	Paul Gray
E. Katherine Kerr	...	Grace Comisky
Fred Melamed	...	Morty Rosenthal
Lisbeth Bartlett	...	Marilyn
Paul D'Amato	...	Michael
Bernie McInerney	...	Walter
Thomas Barbour	...	Justice Lowell
Katie O'Hare	...	Elizabeth Quinn
Rosemary Knower	...	Justice Lowell's Secretary
Aaron Schwartz	...	Forensic Pathologist

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | New Zealand:R13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Magder Studio, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Kathleen is reading Carl's case file after he attacks her, we hear her say "Can't they read?" but her lips are clearly saying something completely different.

Quotes:

Parking Lot Attendant: [Kathleen has broken into Elizabeth Quinn's car to find evidence] Hey, lady, what do you think you're doing?
Kathleen Riley: [caught off guard] I was her friend.

Movie Connections:

References To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Convincing performances by all. Nice surprise ending.

Cher plays the role of a dedicated public defender who is given a case just as she is about to collapse from overwork. The poor guy has been living on the street for years and is accused of killing a young woman for a lousy $9. He won't talk to police and Cher has to draw him out before she can even begin to find some way to defend him. There are several well planned surprises and I never had the feeling any of the cast were "acting". This is one movie that had me fooled as to who the real culprit was right to the end. I like that! If I can guess the outcome halfway through the movie it is a turn off and total disappointment to me. Seven stars is high for me. It takes a "Lawrence of Arabia" or "Gone with the Wind" to get 10 stars from me.