The Suspect

Two African American social scientists pose as bank robbers in an effort to understand the racial dynamics of small-town law enforcement. However, their experiment takes an unplanned turn.

When a small mid-west town’s bank is robbed by a black man, the local sheriff, Sadler, picks up Phifer, found wandering around in the fields. He denies the crime but constantly taunts the cops and clearly knows more than he’s letting on. Eventually, flashbacks reveal the plot, involving a second black man, Brown. Just when the story seems clear, more flashbacks reveal further twists, right up to the final seconds. A clever thriller, impossible to second-guess, enhamced by strong performances. A serious subject lurks behind the facage of a thriller.