Above Suspicion review by Bobby Blakey
While most noted as Mother of Dragons from Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke has stepped out of that series shadow to take on a variety of roles in the Terminator and Star Wars franchises as well as her 2019 romantic holiday comedy Last Christmas and so much more. Back in 2019 she also did another film, Above Suspicion, but was delayed for release assumingly due to the pandemic, co-starring Jack Huston, Johnny Knoxville and Thora Birch. Could this flick be worth informing on or will it turn into a dangerous relationship?
Above Suspicion follows the true story of one of the most notorious crimes in FBI history of Susan Smith, a young woman desperate to escape a seedy life of crime and drugs in a Kentucky coal mining town. When a newly minted FBI agent named Mark Putnam recruits Susan as his informant for a high-profile case, she believes her bad luck may finally be changing. But as Susan and Putnam’s relationship deepens, so does the danger, setting them both on a collision course with deadly consequences.
Other than Clarke’s involvement and that it was based on a true story I didn’t know anything about this film. First I love her as an actor and glad to see her in something like this that is out of the persona that we have become accustomed to from her. That is always a good sign of an actors range when they can step into full on different persona’s and despite having a very specific thing they are known for you still can buy into them. Clarke is great in this flick bringing a wide range to the role dealing with drug and physical abuse, happiness, betrayal, heartache and rage.
The rest of the cast are good as well, but this is Clarke all the way. The story is pretty simple and went in a different direction than I had expected. You can see many of the elements of its arc and where it is going, but the twist to it all is made all the crazier knowing it is a true story. The gritty look and feel make it feel real as you are taken on this story that is filled with characters that are all flawed and many of them unlikeable. This might put some
people off, but that is the sad truth of reality.
If there is anything that is an issue it is the generic formula that it follows to tell the story. This makes it feel less original and if you focus you pretty much figure out where the majority of it is heading whether you know the story or not. In the end it I really dug it for what it was and for the performances of both Clarke and Knoxville more than anything, but it is one of those that will likely either work for the viewer or not.
Decide for yourself and check out Above Suspicion available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.