X
  • 1991
  • PG-13
  • Warner Bros.
  • 1 h 45 m
  • 1991
  • PG-13
  • Warner Bros.
  • 1 h 45 m

Summary David Merrill (Robert De Niro), a fictitious 1950s Hollywood director, returns from filming abroad in France to find that his loyalty has been called into question by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and he is unable to work until cleared. Before being called, his highest priority had been his work to the extent of leaving h...

Directed By: Irwin Winkler

Written By: Irwin Winkler

  • 1991
  • PG-13
  • Warner Bros.
  • 1 h 45 m
  • 1991
  • PG-13
  • Warner Bros.
  • 1 h 45 m

Guilty by Suspicion

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 23 Critic Reviews
64
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 6 User Ratings
7.5
My Score
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Where to Watch

Summary David Merrill (Robert De Niro), a fictitious 1950s Hollywood director, returns from filming abroad in France to find that his loyalty has been called into question by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and he is unable to work until cleared. Before being called, his highest priority had been his work to the extent of leaving h...

Directed By: Irwin Winkler

Written By: Irwin Winkler

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 23 Critic Reviews
64
65% Positive
15 Reviews
35% Mixed
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 23 Critic Reviews
64
65% Positive
15 Reviews
35% Mixed
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
A gripping film that re-creates the fear, bewilderment and anguish felt by thousands during the anti-Communist witch hunt in Hollywood. Robert De Niro gives one of the finest and most modulated performances of his career as David Merrill, a famous director trapped in the miasma of suspicion that haunted Hollywood in the '50s and '60s. [15 Mar 1991, p.E1]
FULL REVIEW
88
Guilty by Suspicion is about a period that is now some 40 years ago (although some blacklist members did not work again until the 1970s). But it teaches a lesson we are always in danger of forgetting: that the greatest service we can do our country is to be true to our conscience.
By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW
75
For De Niro, David Merrill represents a rare opportunity to play a leading man without tics or gimmicks, and it is a pleasure to set what a fine, transparent performer he can be after the high technique of Awakenings and GoodFellas.
By Dave Kehr FULL REVIEW
70
First writing-directing effort by vet producer Irwin Winkler squarely lays out the professional, ethical and moral dilemmas engendered by the insidious political pressures brought to bear on filmmakers in the early 1950s. Robert De Niro is excellent as a top director brought down by reactionary paranoia. But the drama comes to life only fitfully.
FULL REVIEW
60
The pace drags terribly, however, and the period detail is distractingly off in small ways that become annoying. Thankfully, though, things perk up with a bravura finale, when Merrill finally takes the witness stand before the dreaded inquisitors.
By Angie Errigo FULL REVIEW
50
In fact much of Guilty By Suspicion takes place in a trashy roman a clef zone, with bigger-than-life versions of famous moments and people; the trouble is, the bigger they are, the less like life they seem.
By Stephen Hunter FULL REVIEW
40
Producer Irwin Winkler's directorial debut is a well-intentioned history lesson that may play like a clear-eyed relevation for the last person in the world not yet aware of the period of the Hollywood blacklist. For everyone else, Guilty By Suspicion is a mediocre, pointless non-examination of a paranoid, hysterical historical tragedy.
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 6 User Ratings
7.5
50% Positive
3 Ratings
50% Mixed
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 6 User Ratings
7.5
50% Positive
3 Ratings
50% Mixed
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Chartoff-Winkler Productions
Release Date Mar 15, 1991
Duration 1 h 45 m
Rating PG-13
Genres
Tagline In the 1950's a war was being fought in the U.S. A committee of Congress sought to control the creative community through fear and censorship. Anyone who disagreed with them became... Guilty By Suspicion.
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Awards

Political Film Society, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
London Critics Circle Film Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Cannes Film Festival
• 1 Nomination

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