Created by Simon Moore
In 1957 Brighton, police officer ANTHONY AARON‘s on-duty affair takes a nasty turn of events when an on-duty tumble results in the shooting death of a fellow officer. Disgraced, and forced to resign, Aaron sets himself up as a rather seedy private investigator of sorts in Under Suspicion, a 1992 feature film written and directed by Simon Moore, probably best known for writing the script for the original Traffik, which aired on British television.
“Discreet and Affordable,” the sign says, but in reality, what our Tony does is fake evidence of extramarital affairs to speed divorce proceedings along. As Aaron puts it, “All you need is a woman, a photograph, and a private eye.” Not overly concerned with scruples, he uses his girlfriend as “the woman” in these “arranged adulteries.” But shit happens, and when a client, a big-shot artist, and his girlfriend are murdered, Aaron is the prime suspect. Even Aaron’s last remaining pal on the force, his former partner Frank, is beginning to have his doubts about Aaron.
Not a bad flick, although it’s more than a little depressing. Not exactly a morally or spiritually uplifting piece of celluoid. Laura San Giacomo is miscast as a femme fatale. She “seems to be aping Kathleen Turner in Body Heat,” according to Peter Travers in Rolling Stone but if you’re in the mood for a surprisingly effective bit of noir nastiness, this will do the trick.
But you may want to shower later.
FILMS
- UNDER SUSPICION | Buy this video | Buy this DVD
(1992, Columbia/London Weekend Television)
A Carnival Film
Screenplay by Simon Moore
Directed by Simon Moore
Produced by Brian Eastman
Executive Producers: Nick Elliot, Fred Turner, George Helzer
Starring Liam Neeson as ANTHONY AARON
Also starring Laura San Giacomo, Kenneth Cranham, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Stephen Moore, Maggie O’Neill, Malcolm Storry
Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
