Ambitious, overwrought and sometimes incoherent, this film co- written and directed by Ringo Lam caves in under the weight of mistaken identities and double crosses. Though Lam is the more conventional film maker within the Hong Kong school of Hark and Woo, his style can be serviceable. The performances that Lam extracts from his actors are of notable realism, apparent even in the badly dubbed version I was saddled with, and Lam knows how to place a camera unobtrusively but intelligently within a drama. Most of "The Suspect" is of craftsman like quality, and while Lam struggles with the budgetary limits most Hong Kong directors face, his past work for Hollywood (Maximum Risk) has allowed him to give the film a photographic sheen and clarity not found in a lot of Hong Kong productions.
The main problem, however, is a convoluted script that doesn't connect the dots. Within the story of shifting alliances, and told in a more classical form of film making, a certain amount of narrative clarity is needed. The plot becomes ludicrous at times, only further emphasized by Lam's straight faced and sober approach to the material. With a helicopter squad of mercenaries appearing out of nowhere to rescue the lead from a high speed police chase, the burning intensity of Woo or the giddy audaciousness of Hark is needed to pull the scene off. Unfortunately, Lam's middle of the road approach results in a competent but unremarkable action / drama film.
