Search - Under Suspicion on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Adult Language, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 01/02/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 50 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 16 Genres: Mystery, Police Detective Film

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, All Movie Guide

Morgan Freeman - Capt. Victor Benezet
Gene Hackman - Henry Hearst
Thomas Jane - Detective Felix Owens
Monica Bellucci - Chantal Hearst

=Under Suspicion's 1.85:1 widescreen anamorphic transfer succeeds in keeping all of the elements of each frame clear and well-defined. It contains solid black levels and impressive colors that often correlate with the tone of the action onscreen. However, several defects and a significant amount of grain are on the print, and several outdoor scenes suffer from a lack of brightness. Viewers opposed to widescreen may also watch the film in a cropped full-frame version.
The 5.1-channel Dolby Digital audio transfer on this disc fails to take full advantage of the rear surround speakers. It works very well in keeping the sharp edges alive in the tense interrogation scenes, but the overall sound experience could have been better. This disc also contains a 2.0-channel Dolby transfer that also emanates a clear and sharp sound.
=Under Suspicion's primary supplement is a feature commentary with director Stephen Hopkins and actor Morgan Freeman. While this track isn't fascinating, it does provide decent insight into the making of the film. Hopkins' track on =Lost in Space was one of the highlights of that disc, and once again he offers plenty of information. Freeman is a soft-spoken man, but his comments are thoughtful and worthwhile.
This disc also includes an 11-minute promotional featurette that primarily contains interviews with Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman. Most of their comments fall into the light promotional category, but both stars show a genuine excitement for the project. A full-screen theatrical trailer and talent files round out the extra features. ~ Dan Heaton, All Movie Guide