Suspense

Could be shorter with less ice skating interludes, but otherwise I have few complaints, and even those ice skating scenes were still fine. Barry Sullivan is always a good noir actor from what I've seen and he certainly lives up to that here. He really sells mistrustful and distant. The story is not all that original, except for one twist, but it's still a good little tale of ambition and the setting gives it some spark. Wonderful cinematography and nice supporting cast, it's got all the pieces.

Starts as a rather ho-hum affair with little of the suspense promised by the title. It's more a showcase for Belita's skating talents propped up around a routine melodrama. But things kick into gear for the third act as the tension gradually seeps in. However, what really saves this film is the look of it. This is a masterpiece of noir lighting, you could make a whole book of screenshots from it. Even if the rest of the movie is merely adequate, it's worth seeing for the gorgeous style alone.

The setup is decent, but the last act is dreadful. It's poorly paced and oddly confusing, with a lot of key events including a murder happening off screen, as if the plot is supposed to be a secret kept from the audience for no discernible reason. It's a shame because in addition to being a wild blend of genres, the cast do decent jobs whenever the weird plot isn't hamstringing them.

Fun seeing little Monogram Pictures attempt something big. They throw everything in there to make their Suspense (1946). Ice shows, sniper shots, Latin music and bringing back one of my favorite character actors Eugene Pallette for one final movie appearance. Suspense (1946) is was above the usual Monogram standard. Lacks a little tweaking with the story, but a lot of fun and, yes, suspense along the way.