Above Suspicion
Tags: neo noir

Plot synopsis:
In the spring of 1939 in England, Oxford University Professor Richard Myles (Fred MacMurray) and his new bride Frances (Joan Crawford) decide to honeymoon on the continent. Because they are American tourists and therefore "above suspicion," they find themselves commissioned by the British secret service to find an apparently missing scientist who has developed a countermeasure against a new Nazi secret weapon, a magnetic sea mine. Without knowing his name, what he looks like, or where to find him, the couple look upon the search as adventurous and cross Europe seeking clues from clandestine contacts.
In Paris, Frances is given a hat decorated with a rose as a signal for their first contact, who silently instructs them to go to a café in Montmartre, where an unseen contact plants a tourist guidebook to southern Germany in Richard's coat. The couple notice a series of ink dots on a map in the book that linked together form a musical staff with the opening notes to the song "My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose," which they deduce is their password. Three pinpricks in the same map direct them to the book's seller, A. Werner (Felix Bressart), in Salzburg. Werner informs them they must go to a certain museum where a man named Count Hassert Seidel (Conrad Veidt), calling himself a "guide," suggests that they check into a guest house run by Frau Kleist (Johanna Hofer). She provides them with a book on Franz Liszt with annotations that reveal their next stop should be the village of Pertisau in the Tyrol, where they should inquire about a doctor who collects chess pieces.
Some days later, the couple intends to go to a performance of Liszt but are advised against it by Thornley (Bruce Lester), a fellow houseguest and recent graduate of Oxford. They go anyway; and, during the same loud passage that Thornley had been practicing earlier in the night, a Nazi Colonel, the Commandant of Dachau concentration camp, is shot and killed. Officials insist on questioning the entire audience, but Richard and Frances are rescued by Gestapo Chief Count Sig von Aschenhausen (Basil Rathbone), a former Oxford schoolmate of Richard's. Thornley later admits to Richard that he killed the Nazi as revenge for torturing and killing his Austrian fiancée. He also warns Richard that Thornley and his fiancée had once also been "above suspicion."
Frances and Richard go to the home of the chess collector, Dr. Mespelbrunn (Reginald Owen); but, while he does not seem to be present, Count von Aschenhausen is. They notice sheet music for "My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose" on his piano, but Sig does not respond to an identification signal that Richard gives him, and the couple becomes suspicious. They hear thumping noises upstairs and discover that Sig is holding Mespelbrunn prisoner. Mespelbrunn tells them to run and that the Gestapo is coming after them. The couple leaves the house just in time, and Hassert appears to help them free Mespelbrunn, who is the missing scientist "Dr. Smith". All four head for Innsbruck, and Mespelbrunn gives Richard the plans for the countermeasure.
The couple obtain counterfeit passports from an elderly couple named Schultz. Richard and Frances are to catch the train to Milan at separate stations; but, when the Schultzes are arrested by the Gestapo, the police are on the lookout for them in disguise. Frances is detained and questioned by the Gestapo; but Thornley, in Innsbruck as well to catch the same train, is able to find Richard. Richard, Thornley, and Hassert sneak in to where Frances is being held and kill all her captors, including Sig; but Thornley is also killed. After fooling the Nazi border guards, Hassert and the newlyweds finally find freedom in Italy.

Review: Christopher Reeve in an excellent TV thriller.
Christopher Reeve ironically plays a homicide detective who's paralyzed from the waist down after a bust goes bad.
His family life isn't all that great either; his wife is cheating on him with his own brother.
One day Reeve asks the two of them to help him end his life...that's when things get interesting.This is an exceptionally well made TV thriller.
Boasting excellent performances from Cattrall, Mantegna and especially Reeve, in his last role before his horrible accident.
Also has a very satisfying conclusion, not all TV movies follow the same formula.I'll miss Christopher Reeve.
Here, as in other movies, he shows just what a quality actor he truly was when given good roles..
***SPOILERS*** Being highly successful in everything that he did, from the top of his class in collage a top Jet pilot and law enforcement officer, Dempsey Cain, Christopher Reeve,is the exact opposite of his younger brother Nick, Edward Kerr.
Nick also a member of the San Sebastian police department like Dempsey is a total failure when compared to his older brother.One evening at a police shooting, the cop ended up dead, Dempsey calls Nick on his personal beeper and gets no answer.
It turned that Nick was at Dempsey's house having an sexual tryst with his cheating and unfaithful wife Gail, Kim Cattrail.
The resulting shootout ends with Dempsey getting shot in the spine and ending up crippled from the waist down.At the inquest following the shooting Dempsey covered up the fact that his brother's incompetence, leaving his beeper on, was responsible for the shootout.
Taking the blame himself for it saying that the noisy beeper was his not Nick's Dempsey forgave his brother for his career ending injuries but not for his sleeping with his wife.
Dempsey realized that Nick was having an affair with his wife at the time that the young cop was shot and killed and that illicit affair had been going on for some time.Putting on an act that he was despondent with his life as a paraplegic Dempsey get's both Nick and Gail to go along with a plan where he's killed, by them, in a burglary and having insured himself for $1,000,000.00 with a double indemnity clause, excluding suicide.
Getting everything ready for the big night, Friday July 15, 1994,when Dempsey is supposed to be killed Nick & Gail get the surprise of their life.
The second half of the movie "Above Suspicion" has to do with Dempsey's fellow police detective Alan Rhinehart, Joe Mantegna,who realized that Dempsey was guilty,trying to convince his superior Capt Lindsey, Ron Canada, and the internal affairs department to have him arrested and tried for his bother and wife's deaths.The movie ends on a very disturbing note with Det. Rhinehart finally getting Dempsey to stand trial for his brothers and wife's murder but the results shocked even him in how brilliant and, for the loss of a better word, evil Dempsey's plan was.
Christopher Reeve was a very good actor - a talented man.
In this telemovie he plays a (super)cop shafted by his brother and his wife.
Kim Cattrell is not sexy to my eyes but she shows good acting chops and isn't afraid to get down on screen.
In the end, Reeve is the star and shows extreme skill in the way he develops Cain (it's all in the eyes!).
Christopher Reeve is totally convincing in his role, but Kim Cattrall just about steals it as his deliciously sexy, cheating vixen of a wife..
A Surprisingly Good, Unknown and Underrated Film Noir.
Dempsey Cain (Christopher Reeve) is a perfectionist and accurate detective, married with Gail (Kim Cattrall), having a son and living in a comfortable house.
His brother Nick (Edward Kerr) is a reckless policeman and is having an affair with Gail.
Dempsey's colleague Rhinehart (Joe Mantegna) disputes with him who is the best detective in their district.
One day, in a bust in a hotel, trying to arrest five Mexicans who killed two policemen, Dempsey is shot and become paralyzed below his waist.
Then, he proposes his brother and his wife to kill him, simulating a robbery in his house, in order to get his life insurance paid and for them to raise his son.
What happens next makes this movie an excellent film noir.
The story and the screenplay are great, having many plot points, and the performance of the cast is perfect.
The irony is that Christopher Reeves became paralyzed after this movie in an accident.
This is a pretty interesting crime movie that has been overshadowed by the irony of it: Christopher Reeve playing a man in a wheelchair, and he himself being paralyzed not long after this movie.This story concerns a cop who gets paralyzed and then gets revenge on his wife and brother, both of whom were having an affair behind his back which he knew about.
Joe Mantegna's role, I thought, was the best, as the pursuing cop on the case, although Reeve is very good, too.
Kim Cattrall's garbage-mouth helps make her a convincing villain as the cheating wife.There is one major credibility problem, however, with this film that might have you shaking your head.
The tension in the end is so high that when I watched the movie I couldn't help myself jumping from my sofa, and this is never happened to me before.
Christopher Reeve and Joe Mantenga delivered us their best.Very strong movie.It's a shame that a movie like The Blair Witch Project went to the cinemas after you see Above Suspicion that went only to TV..
Christopher Reeve had starred in some good thrillers when he wasn't flying around as Superman.
Reeve plays a top detective Dempsey Cain who is paralyzed after a drugs operation.
Also, Dempsey's brother and wife have been having an affair and now that he is paralyzed, he may just notice what has been going on...I cannot say any more.
The film has such twists that if I say anything more I will end up giving it away.
If you like thrillers that involve murder and adultery, then this is the one for you.This was Reeve's last film before he became paralyzed in the riding accident he had.
Joe Mantegna gives a Columbo-like performance as the relentless detective who thinks the obvious in a murderer investigation is not how it happened.
Unfortunately, in this case, his adversary, Christopher Reeve always seems to be one step ahead of Mantegna.
A while ago I read in places that Above Suspicion was a sleeper hit in it's time and was a great film with twists and turns.
Of course reeve's in Superman, Kim Cattrall in Big Trouble in Little China and Joe Mantega in The Godfather Part 3 so to have them all together in one film was great and it worked on so many levels.
It all begins with Reeve as a cop who goes out on a drug bust or something along those lines and he get's shot during it.
He ends up paralysed from the waist down, becomes very depressed and decides that suicide is the only way out to cure his long and tiring depression, in steps his brother and wife played by Cattrall.
He knows that killing himself will leave no insurance on his life to leave to his young son so he pleads with his wife and brother to shoot him in a staged robbery.
I still am very shocked to have seen how good it was considering it wasn't backed up by a big film studio so this is what we have to remember from now on.
We may have to put up with some terrible B movies that are straight to video but there are some if not a lot of surprisingly good films out there with powerful stories.
As a TV Movie, I think Reeve should have won an Emmy or Golden Globe for his best portrayal I've seen him in.
Reeve lights the screen on fire, making this the most exciting movie of the year.Reeve plays a well-respected and talented cop who is shot during a drug bust leaving him a paraplegic.
Reeve suspects his wife is cheating on him with his brother and vows revenge by any means, not caring about his condition.There's only a few actors who are capable of giving a real evil stare that's truly scary.
I do not consider myself as a movie critic by any means,but above suspicion with Christopher Reeves is probably one of the BEST films I have ever seen.Not only is the story so intense so is the characters.Setting aside the fact that Christopher really became a wheelchair bound person shortly after this film was made,Above Suspicion is a movie about a situation that could have really happened.A man paralized with a young boy loses hope.His wife is cheating on him with his own brother.Sounds like a simple story,but watch how Christopher deals with the sistuation.It is so intense,it is hard to look away...I give it 5 stars!*****.
Dempsey "Demp" Cain (belated now, Christopher Reeve) was one of those law officers that did everything by the book.
His brother, Nick Cain (Edward Kerr) was a police officer as well.
Nick and his wife, Gail Cain (Kim Cattrall), had been having an affair for some time now.
But using his paralysis, along with a little sympathy, and time to think, was just what he needed to come up with the ultimate pay back.There was just one problem in this plot of revenge though; his name was Alan Rhinehart (Joe Mantegna), another fellow cop on the force.
And does Demp get away with his revenge against his brother and wife?
That's left to be seen when you watch the movie!"Above Suspicion," is a very good TV movie; it's kind of short, but it gets its point across!
It also leaves you missing Christopher Reeve.
There is much to admire about the twists and turns of the plot of this movie.
What makes them so real is the skill of the script in showing that they are the result not of plot contrivance but the mind of a genius at work.Dempsey is brilliant.
At the beginning of the film he is asked by a superior to go over a cop kill crime scene that his resentful colleague Rhinehart had already gone over.
As Rhinehart fumes at the captain's lack of confidence in his work, Dempsey notes that the dead cops badge was taken by the killer as a trophy and asks forensic to dust the spot on the ground where the killer would have had to rest his left hand to bend over the body and take the badge with his right.
Once again Dempsey has shown him up.Throughout the film he is like that, one step ahead of everyone else.
Dempsey gently asks whether his brother Nick hates him.
Nick, who is frankly an incompetent failure whose every action reeks of carelessness (Dempsey was shot in the first place because his brother screwed up the bust), confesses his envy.
It was a good scene of how love can be tried by a stark difference in life lots, even when those outcomes are as just as excellence rewarded and incompetence punished.Another point.
We saw in the very beginning how the captain openly preferred Dempsey's work to Rhinehart's and we saw that he had good cause to.
There are many things that make this film good for me.
One is the actor who plays the leading role- I haven't seen Christopher Reeve in much and to see him playing a totally different character of which I'm accustomed to is really appealing.
This can be said for Sean Connery, who was no doubt a good Bond, but he just enthuses entertainment even if the film is not rated so well, such as The Russia House, or Outland).I also like the subtle music and the subtle character play in the script, such as Reeve's character being resented as a know it all college boy, who gets favoured by the Lieutenant.
Above Suspicion is a very different film that has a unique cast which includes Christopher Reeve, Joe Mantegna, Kim Cattrall, Edward Kerr, Geoffrey Rivas, Finola Hughes, and William H.
Christopher Reeve is excellent in this film.
The film is quite exciting and the movie really keeps you going until the end.
If you like Christopher Reeve, Joe Mantegna, Kim Cattrall, Edward Kerr, William H.
It`s a poignant fact that only days after this film was released Christopher Reeve suffered a tragic accident and the headlines were about his last role as a paralysed cop which means it`s impossible to watch ABOVE SUSPICION without being reminded of Reeve`s real life situation so I`ll try and review this movie on its own merits While not being the greatest actor in the world the one thing I have noticed about Christopher Reeve on-screen is that he comes across as being Mr nice guy so it`s somewhat surprising to see him starring in a thriller featuring sex , violence and strong language .
The plot itself is intriguing enough to hold the attention and revolves around a cop maimed in the line of duty wanting to set himself up for a murder so that his wife will cash in on his life insurance .
Another thing too - we see at the very beginning that Dempsey is a very 'detailed" person, with the business about the rookie cop's badge being missing.
That in mind, i think they should have left out the part where Dempsey stood up to shoot his brother.
All in all, its a very good movie and the sex scenes really "riled me up" - especially when they were in the shower while Dempsey was at the hospital, paralyzed.
At least Nick DID have respect for his brother, to some degree, but everything Gail said and did was self-centered.
Poor Demps was paralyzed and all she could think about is her having to "push a wheelchair the rest of her life." Boy, I hope I never marry someone like that!.
Reeves Delivers Good Suspense.
In a generally formulaic suspense drama, Christopher Reeves gives a surprisingly chilling performance as crippled, Machiavellian cop who seeks revenge against his brother and wife for having an affair.
All other performances in this movie, with the exception of Kim Cattrall, are pretty mediocre, but Reeves fortunately carries the movie with his understated (and underrated) showing..
strong suspense film, with twists and turns.
Interesting script, filled with suspense, perhaps because of the nature of the film and Christopher Reeve's part, the film is more poignant now then ever.
Acting all around is good, direction excellent, a film not to be missed..
An efficient, highly respected cop, Chris Reeves, must cover for his inept younger brother on the same police force.
He's retired from the force and is cared for at home by his wife.Reeves passes through various stages of depression and becomes suicidal.
He calls his wife (Cattrall) and his brother Nick (Kerr) together for a talk and tells them that he's concocted a plan to fake his own murder.
He's taken out mucho life insurance with his wife, his brother, and his son as beneficiaries.
Kerr is a shallow guy, a total failure at everything he's tried, despite his brother's help -- self absorbed and naive, and he's been boffing Reeve's wife for some time.
So instead of their shooting him, he kills them and claims self defense.Everyone believes him except another cop, Joe Montegna, who can't quite shake the suspicion that Reeves has done exactly what he has in fact done.
And there is that pretty next-door neighbor.It's a pretty good movie.
Reeve's wife may be unfaithful to him, but she has a decent job, does what she can to help him, and apparently loves their son.
And the movie itself ends with a murderer getting away with it.
Not only that, but Montegna, the only detective who sees through Reeves, must leave in disgrace.Some effort has gone into the plot, and into the dialog as well.
Above Suspicion stars Christopher Reeve as a paralyzed police officer who plots to murder his unfaithful wife and her lover.
Just two days after the film was released, Reeve suffered the infamous horse riding accident that left him paralyzed below the neck for the rest of his life.The film stars Reeve together with Kim Cattrall,Edward Kerr and Joe Mantegna.It is a suspense thriller written by actor William H.
In this high-tension thriller,Dempsey Cain, a paralyzed detective whose arrogance and penchant for perfectionism has alienated his family to the point that his wife Gail turns to his brother Nick for love.
Nick is also a cop, but unlike Dempsey, he tends to be irresponsible and sloppy.
Dempsey knows that Nick and Gail are having an affair.
Wanting to end his life, but knowing that his million-dollar life insurance policy will not cover his suicide, he approaches Nick and Gail with the perfect solution -- to murder him and make it look like a burglary.
Unfortunately, despite his careful scheming, Dempsey makes one fatal flaw -- he did not include his suspicious, resentful and jealous colleague Allan Rhinehart into the equation and things go horribly awry.The movie is a surprising turn for Christopher Reeve as he portray a dark character.Also,he was subdued in a paralyzed policeman.Aside from him,others did well in their roles such as Cattrall's in the adulteress practicing for her upcoming Sex and the City role during her sexy and hot scenes in bed and the shower while Kerr is a hunky villain.It ends in an unpredictable manner but nevertheless,it was satisfying all throughout..
*** MAJOR SPOILER WARNING ***It's difficult to criticise this movie as it's iconic (and grimly ironic) as Reeve's last film before his accident.
As a thriller, it is generally very clever and well done, and it was good to see Reeve showing his adaptability as an actor by playing against his usual nice guy persona.
Fairly routine thriller made more poignant by actor's real life..