Shortly after a Supreme Court justice commits suicide, his secretary’s body washes ashore on the bank of the Potomac. The police quickly arrest and charge Carl Wayne Anderson (Liam Neeson)—a homeless veteran who’s deaf and mute—with the murder. The case is assigned to public defender Kathleen Riley (Cher). She’s overworked and has no personal life, but is determined to provide Anderson with a solid defense, even if he is initially a bit combative towards her and the police—especially since it appears that she’s the only person willing to listen to him and treat him like a human being. However, she struggles to find evidence to prove Carl’s innocence, and, to make matters worse, Judge Matthew Bishop Helms (John Mahoney) appears to have some sort of grudge against her.

Meanwhile, Eddie Sanger (Dennis Quaid) is a lobbyist originally from Wisconsin who’s trying to secure votes on a bill on behalf of the Milk Distributors. He’s a bit cocky and smooth-talking, but charming and has a way of winning people over. He’s summoned for jury duty, and initially hopes to be excused. But once he’s assigned to the jury, he becomes invested, even investigating things on his own. He starts contacting Kathleen with tips and evidence he has found, which is certainly not legal. But Kathleen decides to go along as the tips prove to be solid, and no one else is available to assist with the case. But they have to keep this a secret, especially with some potential sparks forming between them, because she could be disbarred if the judge found out. As they dig and try to prove her client’s innocence, a larger conspiracy comes to light, and they soon find their lives in danger.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It was released nearly 40 years ago, but I had never even heard of it until this disc showed up for review. It’s an exciting and tense thriller with some surprising twists and turns. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, trying to figure out who is behind the murder along with the characters. It had me captivated from start to finish, and the story felt just as timely and relevant nearly 40 years later, rather than a product of the era it was made in.

The film has an amazing cast, all of whom look so young! Cher plays this tough, no-nonsense woman who is devoted to her job so much that her personal life has become non-existent. She doesn’t let anything get in her way, as we see early on when she chases after thieves who rob her in her car when she’s stopped in traffic. Kathleen is willing to go above and beyond for her clients, but is getting tired of having to always defend murderers and rapists. However, Carl Wayne Anderson actually feels like he could be innocent.

Liam Neeson doesn’t say a word in this film, but is still able to convey so much expression and emotion. His character is a war veteran who had a psychic breakdown and was discharged, spending years in a VA hospital, where he contracted meningitis and lost his hearing and ability to speak. He’s a lonely and beaten man, and almost has no will to actually fight the charges, despite being innocent. You can really feel the weight of the character in the performance, despite having no dialogue.

Dennis Quaid is delightful as this smooth-talking lobbyist who at first seems a bit too cocky and with questionable morals, always looking for some angle and working the system—even sleeping with a congresswoman in order to secure her vote. But as the film goes along, we see there is a real caring side to Eddie, and he really wants to help solve the case and prove Carl’s innocence, even if that means putting himself in danger. This is the kind of Role we saw Quaid in a lot during the 1980s, and he plays it well. I also couldn’t help but remark at how much he looks like his son Jack, who’s the same age now as Quaid was when he made this movie.

The cast also includes several other recognizable character actors from the 80s, as well as more notable supporting actors like John Mahoney as the Judge, and Joe Mantegna as the prosecuting lawyer.

Alliance Home Entertainment (formerly Mill Creek Entertainment) has released the 1987 film Suspect on Blu-ray for the first time. The visual presentation looks pretty solid, with a generally clean and nicely-detailed picture. However, there are specs of dirt that appear occasionally, and even a thread at the bottom of the screen for a few seconds when the trial first stats. The audio track provides clear dialogue, but lacks the immersive quality of a more modern format. That said, it was more than adequate to enjoy the film.

The Blu-ray release is barebones, containing just the film and no bonus material. Unfortunately the director commentary track from the original DVD release has not been ported over. The disc is packed in a standard HD keepcase. Our review copy did not include any slipcover, and no digital copy is included.

What’s Included:

Film (2:01:34):

• 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

No bonus material included.

Final Thoughts:

Suspect is an exciting thriller/legal drama with an excellent cast. The film holds up great and feels just as timely and relevant almost 40 years later. Alliance’s Blu-ray release features solid picture and sound, with a bit of dirt in the transfer. Unfortunately, the disc is barebones and doesn’t include any bonus material and doesn’t port over any legacy bonus material. But the release still comes recommended based on the quality of the film itself.