Above Suspicion

It's all interesting stuff, but not fodder for a movie. There's not enough there for a movie like this to fill in.

There's more than enough meat on the bones of this true story for a film like Above Suspicion, but director Phillip Noyce can't figure out how to tell it in a way that's more interesting than a Wikipedia entry.

Shot way back in 2016, but only now reaching American theaters and digital services, Above Suspicion plays exactly like a movie you'd expect to sit on the shelf for years, no one pushing hard for its release.

Sex, drugs and J. Edgar-sized violations of FBI ethics rules.

What Above Suspicion lacks in flashy direction, it makes up for in strong performances and gripping true-life material to draw from.

Shy of committing either to its rural noir trappings or its hovering air of mordant black comedy.

Shame on them. They bury the lead and tell a different tale from the excellent book about an FBI agent accused of murder. The true story is much more interesting than what they invented. If you want to create facts, don't use real names.

“Above Suspicion” has a story worthy of being told but it’s emphasis is too often on the wrong thing.

The story, even if true, never seems authentic.

While Above Suspicion valiantly tries to equal its real-life counterpart in terms of shock and awe, most of the drama that leads up to the end feels stale and uninspired.