Above Suspicion (2019)

Above Suspicion has the grim magnetism of a true-crime cautionary tale you can’t look away from, set against an Appalachian backdrop that feels less like scenery and more like fate closing in. It’s a dark, taut thriller that thrives on pressure and poor choices, watching a squeaky-clean FBI golden boy and a desperate local woman spiral into a relationship that’s equal parts seductive and alarming. Emilia Clarke is the film’s secret weapon, delivering a raw, lived-in performance that makes every glance and gamble feel costly. If you like your crime stories lean, bleak, and quietly electrifying rather than flashy, this one sinks its hooks in—and doesn’t let go.

Above Suspicion wants to be a grim, true-crime cautionary tale about power, desperation, and the kind of “small-town” corruption that eats people alive. The problem is it often plays like a flat summary of events rather than a tense thriller, with direction that rarely builds momentum and a script that skims the surface instead of digging into the ugly psychology. The casting—especially Emilia Clarke—can feel like it’s fighting the material rather than inhabiting it, which makes the relationship at the center less believable and the stakes less sharp. If you’re expecting a brutal, atmospheric descent into darkness, you may be disappointed, but if you’re okay with a restrained, straightforward crime drama and you’re curious about the real-life case, it’s watchable in a low-key way.