Grade: C
Synopsis: An heiress (Joan Fontaine) suspects her new husband (Cary Grant) may be plotting to kill her.
Suspicion is a frustrating movie that, had it been made later in director Alfred Hitchcock’s career, likely would have been much better.
The cast is great. Cary Grant is both charming and menacing, and Joan Fontaine is appropriately mousy and vulnerable opposite him. Nigel Bruce also gives a nice turn as Grant’s loveable pal.
The problem is the script. Hitchcock had a much more sinister film in mind, but studio bosses forced him to change it, claiming the public would never accept Cary Grant as such a villain. The result is a watered down movie that lacks any real edge. Joan Fontaine’s character suffers the most, as her lack of response to her husband’s increasing array of lies becomes more and more incredulous as the story progresses. Of course, Fontaine won an Oscar for her performance.
Script problems aside, Suspicion still has its merits. Hitchcock does a wonderful job managing the tension and stages several memorable scenes, including the famous “milk shot,” but even the master of suspense can’t overcome a script with no bite.
Bottom Line: A well-acted and well-directed thriller that will appeal to Hitchcock fans, but could, and should, have been a lot better.
