Suspect (1987) Blu-ray

A couple of months before her Oscar-winning turn in 1987’s hit romantic comedy Moonstruck opened in theaters, Cher could be seen starring in Suspect, a legal thriller of less acclaim and significantly less public interest that has recently returned to Blu-ray from Alliance Entertainment.

Buy Suspect from Amazon.com:
Blu-ray · Prime Video

Cher plays Kathleen Riley, a Washington D.C. public defender assigned to represent Carl Wayne Anderson (Liam Neeson), a silent, violent vagrant who has been charged with first degree murder in the death of a law clerk.

Anderson’s wildly unkempt appearance, which he somehow gets to keep well into incarceration, has been hiding the fact that he cannot hear, cannot speak, and cannot understand sign language. With that in mind, it seems pretty clear that he, a Vietnam War veteran whom viral meningitis robbed of his speech and hearing, is innocent. It is up to Kathleen to prove this against the odds, across from a flashy DA (Joe Mantegna) and within a flawed justice system.

Dennis Quaid plays a dairy industry lobbyist, reluctant juror, and general busybody who becomes the face and voice of the panel that has to be convinced to do the right thing.

Suspect is a procedural for whom plausibility does not seem a high priority. Compared to the suspenseful John Grisham thrillers that would thrive the following decade, this feels like an episode of “Matlock” with the budget of a major studio movie and Cher in the lead role at around the height of her movie stardom. Real criminal lawyers will bristle at the amount of contact that occurs and unconvincing romance that ensues between Cher and Quaid, who at the time was a significantly bigger and more experienced actor than Neeson.

Screenwriter Eric Roth was still cutting his teeth in the industry, with this being one of the first movies for which he actually received credits. Just a few years later, he would win an Oscar for adapting Forrest Gump for the big screen. Subsequent credits since that Oscar include The Insider, Munich, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Dune: Part One, and Killers of the Flower Moon. Hard to believe this far-fetched courtroom drama laid groundwork for him to flourish.

A number of recognizable and reliable character actors fill supporting roles, including “Fraser”‘s John Mahoney and Bill Cobbs as judges, Fred Melamed and Richard Gant as Cher’s associate lawyers, and Michael Beach as a parking attendant.

British director Peter Yates was well seasoned in film, with about a quarter-century of experience coming into this, including the then fairly recent Best Picture nominees Breaking Away and The Dresser. But Yates was clearly on a downward trend, with accolades behind him and retirement beginning to loom. His opening titles are Hitchcockian, but that is where any comparisons to the Master of Suspense end.

BLU-RAY DISC SPECIFICATIONS:
1.78:1 Widescreen
DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (English)
Subtitles: English for Hearing Impaired
Release Date: January 20, 2026
Single-sided, single-layered disc (BD-25)
Blue Keepcase
Suggested Retail Price: $27.99

VIDEO and AUDIO

Alliance’s disc sports the kind of picture and sound you’d expect from a 2017 Mill Creek Blu-ray, which is not outstanding but fine enough for something whose fanbase isn’t large or passionate enough to raise much fuss. The 1.78:1 presentation approximates the original theatrical aspect ratio, while the 2.0 DTS-HD master audio sound mix must also be true to the original theatrical presentation, though I’m sure some would have appreciated a 5.1-channel remix.

BONUS FEATURES, MENUS, PACKAGING and DESIGN

As on the aforementioned Mill Creek platter of yore, there are no bonus features whatsoever found here. Expecting anything extra on a catalog title as obscure as this in 2026 seems like a recipe for disappointment.

There are no inserts within the keepcase. The silent, static menu simply adapts the cover art, with a bare minimum of options (“Play” and Subtitles: On/Off).

CLOSING THOUGHTS

The 1980s courtroom drama Suspect is as forgettable as its generic title. While physical media fans are bound to rejoice at any old movie returning to print, there is little to celebrate about this no-frills release.

Buy Suspect from Amazon.com:
Blu-ray · Prime Video