Category Archives: Suspense

1999, Adultery, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Bullying, Controlling personality, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Escaped Convicts, Failed Father, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Gay theme, Homophobia, Marital Infidelity, Murder, Reconciliation, Ruthless Killer, Suspense, Violent

Rites of Passage (1999)

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From Amazon Prime:

When lawyer DJ Farraday discovers his father has been having an affair, the two drive out to the remote family cabin to talk it over. What neither expects is DJ’s estranged gay brother Campbell will already be there for a weekend retreat with his boyfriend. But father and sons are forced to put aside their grievances when two escaped convicts show up and putting everyone lives in danger.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 32 minute film

Over twenty-two years  the styles of film making have changed remarkably.  As witness to that fact, this film feels very old-fashioned.  Acting in this production seems almost stage-like or somehow exaggerated enough to feel corny.

Dean Stockwell is the only actor I recognize, probably because he was in so many films. He plays the father in this sad family.  As a story the plot is compelling and suspenseful.  James Remar, who plays the controlling convict,  portrays an especially strong personality.  If you use IMDB to see the resumés of the other actors, you might be surprised to see that some are still active.

As a piece of film history,  this film seems like a real find.

2021, Abandoned child, Abuse of Women, Adultery, Bloody scenes, Child abduction and murder, Dark, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Grim, Horror, Masturbation, Mediocre, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Police Investigation, Psychopath, Sad small town, Sociopath, Spousal Abuse, Strange Ending, Suspense, Violent

Things Heard And Seen (2021)

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From IMDB:

An artist relocates to the Hudson Valley and begins to suspect that her marriage has a sinister darkness, one that rivals her new home’s history.

From Netflix you can stream this 2 hour 1 minute horror film.

What! You waste your time on a horror film? Normally I would not except that since Grantchester I have not seen any sign of James Norton who played the priest sidekick to Robson Green’s detective. In this film James Norton plays George Claire alongside Amanda Seyfried who plays his wife Catherine Claire.  Somehow a horror film seems a step down for Norton.

Less a real grewsome horror film, the story is the gradual unpeeling of the layers of deceit which comprise George Claire. Granted there are a few ghosts haunting their house which is infamous for its tragic history.  And there is no harm in a hokey séance.   In a way the entire film is somewhat hokey.

At least give Norton some acting credit.  He can play a good man as in Grantchester. But he can portray really evil people as in this film as well as in Happy Valley with Sarah Lancashire.

In fact you would do well to watch Happy Valley instead of this horror of a film.

2013, Amazon Prime, Anti-Arab, Anti-terrorism, Arab Culture, Brother-Brother relations, Bullying, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Gay theme, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Grim, Hebrew and Arabic, Homophobia, Israeli culture, Israeli Secret Service, Lawyers, Mother-son relations, Palestine vs Israel, Problematic Ending, Suspense, Violent

Out In The Dark (2013)

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From IMDB:

A drama centered on the love affair between two men on opposite sides of the Mid-East conflict: Palestinian student Nimer and Roy, an Israeli lawyer.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 35 minute Israeli film with English subtitles.

Hopelessness of a gay relationship between a Palestinian and an Israeli seems to be the theme and intent of this film.  Homosexuality is accepted in Israel and violently rejected in Palestine.  What really complicates matters is the fact that Nimer’s brother is a Palestinian terrorist which brings the homophobic Israeli secret service into the plot.  When Nimer is finally on the run from the authorities, through the connection of Roy’s father Nimer is smuggled on a boat out of both countries expecting to meet Roy in Paris.   But that is the end of the story without any satisfying conclusion. Indeed that seems to be the point of the film.  Is there a solution?

As well done as it is hopeless.

2009, Acceptable Trash, Action Film, Amazon Prime, Based on a Book, Catholic culture, Conspiracy, Corruption, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Plot twists, Religious Nonsense, Suspense, Vatican Culture

Angels and Demons (2009)

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From IMDB:

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works with a nuclear physicist to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican during one of the significant events within the church.

From Netflix and Amazon Prime you can stream this 2 hour 18 minute film.

Based on the Dan Brown novel,  this film stars Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon and Ewen McGregor as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna.

Awarding  the category “Acceptable Trash” to this messy mixture of Catholic church misinformation and violent conspiracy theory nonsense  is being charitable.

With this review I wanted only to point out that Ewen McGregor was a mere 38 at filming and looks very young.  If you want a visual shock, then watch him at 50 playing the lead role in “Halston” which is reviewed in this blog. In fact, first watch “Halston” and then watch a bit of “Angels and Demons”  (if you can even stomach a little bit of the farce) to see what a difference age can make. For that matter Tom Hanks in this film is no spring chicken.

At least one positive plot point comes to mind:  It takes the entire film to reveal the true villains.  Leading us to suspect one by one many of the characters is well done.

Don’t bother.

2017, Abandoned child, Adopted child, Adultery, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Character Driven, Clever Plot, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drama, French, Grisly, Marital Infidelity, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Prison, Serial Killer, Suspense

La Mante (2017)

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From Netflix:

Faced with a series of grisly unsolved murders, a police commissioner turns to imprisoned serial killer Jeanne Deber and her estranged son for help.

From Netflix you can stream the only season of this French serial killer story.  Each of the 6 episodes lasts about an hour. French audio with English subtitles.

Jeanne Deber is an imprisoned serial killer.  Now someone who has studied her crimes is a copy cat who reproduces her murders in exact detail.  Damien Deber, her estranged son, has been enlisted to work with his mother to find the copy cat.  Possibly Jeanne’s intuitions will help the authorities.

Damien is a tortured soul (who always looks tortured)  whose personal relations are equally tortured.  More than just another serial killer series,  this highly inventive story centers around family, friends, and a past filled with secrets.  Jeanne Deber is a beautiful but stone-faced mystery woman.

Warning; the murders are very, very, very grisly. If you can get past those sights, then

DO NOT MISS!

2016, Author, Binge worthy, Clever Plot, Conspiracy, Corrupt lawyers, Corruption, Crime, Crime thriller, DO NOT MISS, Eccentric Detective, Financial malfeasance, German, German Detectives, Lawyers, MHz Choice, Suspense, Wrongful Arrest

Money Murder Zurich (2016)

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From MHz Choice:

Popular German crime drama about a disgraced lawyer who returns to his native Zurich to work as an unlicensed defender.

From MHz Choice you can stream 2 seasons of this German mystery thriller. Season 1 offers 4 episodes. Season 2 offers 5 episodes. Each of the 9 episodes lasts approximately 90 minutes.  In German with English subtitles.

Only  the first 2 episodes are concerned with the past mistakes made by the lawyer Thomas Borchert.  In all the episodes he uses his Zurich  connections to help fight corruption, solve crimes and protect the innocent. His persona is that of a scraggly looking old man who lives in a trailer sitting on his property.  On the property is his family mansion which he refuses to inhabit.  His nickname should be “Eccentric.”

Because the stories are so well plotted and written and because the suspense almost forces the viewer to binge watch, I can only say:

DO NOT MISS!

 

2015, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Adopted child, Baby snatching, Based on a Book, Binge worthy, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Car Chase, Child Molestation, Complicated, Corny at times, Corrupt lawyers, Crime thriller, Detective, Flashbacks, French, French Detectives, Happy ending, Harlan Coben, Human trafficking, Illegal adoptions, Imperfect, Invincible Hero, Murder Investigation, PBS Masterpiece Streaming, Pedophilia, Personal Betrayal, Pregnancy trafficking, Psychopath, Romance, Self-harm, Suspense, Undercover police work, Violent

No Second Chance (2015)

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From IMDB:

A doctor is shot in the back in her home, her husband is murdered and her infant daughter kidnapped. Faced with inept police, who at times suspect her, she begins her own hunt for her baby and the culprits.

From PBS Masterpiece (Passport) you can stream the 6 episodes of this Harlan Coben thriller which, oddly enough,  was made in France and has English subtitles.  Each episode lasts about an hour.

Harlan Coben was born in Newark, N.J.  If you like thrillers with lots of plot twists and have never read one of Coben’s many novels, you are in for a treat.

Having said that,  although I feverishly binged through the six episodes,  this presentation left a bit to be desired.  Do not be disenchanted by the first two episodes which contain too many swat teams for my taste. After these first two episodes my wife stopped watching, having decided that the series was ordinary and clichéd. But I persisted to the final sappy, happy ending.  Sadly, there were a lot of unfinished side threads.  For me, the book was better.

Nevertheless, a watchable rouge romp featuring a truly psychopathic villainess.

2017, Abandoned child, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Character Driven, Child custody, Conspiracy, Controlling personality, Cult, Cult Brainwashing, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Eccentric Detective, Emotional child abuse, Ethical struggles, Lesbian Theme, Mental Illness, Missing Person, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder by poison, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Police Investigation, Rape, Serial Killer, Small Town, Suspense, Trial Scenes, Violent

The Sinner (2017)

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From Netflix you can stream 4 seasons of this intense series centering on the central detective character Harry Ambrose.

Each season consists of 8 episodes, each about 42 minutes.

  • Season 1: “Cora”  Cora is a young mother that inexplicably stabs and kills a young man during a family beach outing.   Detective Ambrose must discover why she killed in order to defend her.
  • Season 2: “Julian” Julian is a young boy who confesses to murdering his parents. Ambrose has to investigate the cult to which the boy belongs in order to defend the boy.
  • Season 3: “Jamie” Jamie is the father of a family and is also a serial killer. Ambrose needs to understand Jamie in order to stop his killing and prove his guilt.
  • Season 4: “Percy” Percy is the troubled daughter of the Muldoon fishing family.  In the start of the story Harry thinks he sees Percy commit suicide.  Alongside personal relationship  problems, Harry must once again put himself in danger to get to the bottom of a serious corruption scheme.

As Harry Ambrose the actor Bill Pullman plays a stubborn detective with a very unique personality.  Quiet, always with a knowing shy smile on his face, Harry is his own mystery.  With the other “criminals” he shares a tortured past which we learn bit by bit. Harry takes some remarkable chances in order to solve a mystery.

As far as detective series are concerned:

DO NOT MISS!

2021, Acceptable for teenagers, Addiction, Attempted Suicide, British, Clever Plot, Divorced Mother, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Drugs, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Gay theme, Jealousy, Love Triangle, Melodrama, Mental Illness, Murder, Mystery Film, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Paranormal theme, Plot Twist, Psychiatrists, Psychological Thriller, Surprise Ending, Suspense, Thriller, Unhappy Marriage, Unusual

Behind Her Eyes (2021)

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From Netflix:

A single mother enters a world of twisted mind games when she begins an affair with her psychiatrist boss while secretly befriending his mysterious wife.

From Netflix you can stream the 6 episodes of this British romantic thriller. Each episode lasts about 50 minutes.

Louise is a divorced mother with one child Adam.  David, a psychiatrist, is Louise’s boss and Adele’s husband. Adele is a mysterious  childless stay-at-home housewife.  David and Adele are not happily married. But their relationship is more ominous rather than merely not getting along. David and Louise are having a difficult affair, not the least because Louise has befriended Adele.  Rob is a gay young man who has become Adele’s best friend after Rob and Adele met during their mutual confinement in a mental institution.

If you are not yet intrigued, then throw in a paranormal element (which perfectly suits the plot and is not the least bit hokey) and lots of sex scenes.  Finally, this story has one of the best surprise endings I have ever seen.

If this last paragraph appeals to you, then DO NOT MISS!

2016, Abduction, Coarse manners, Divorce, Eccentric Detective, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, German, German Detectives, Jewelry theft, Mental Illness, MHz Choice, Missing Person, Murder, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Police Culture, Religious fanatic, Religious Theme, Revenge, Serial Killer, Stalker, Suspense, Teenagers

Wolfsland (2016)

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From MHz Choice:

Criminalist Viola Delbrück and Detective Burkhard “Butch” Schulz are mismatched investigators in this atmospheric German crime drama set in the mountains of Upper Lusatia.

From MHz Choice you can stream one season consisting of 6 episodes. Each episode lasts about 1.5 hours and is a complete story. German with subtitles.

Running through the 6 episodes are several themes, the most important being the fact that Viola’s former husband is stalking her and determined to win her back.  Viola is an intelligent and sincere detective who tries to follow the rules.  Detective “Butch” on the other hand is a real pain-in-the neck who is most often rude but underneath  the coarse surface is, in his own way, a caring person.

Well done set of engrossing stories.