Movie Type: Psychological Thriller, Post-Noir (Modern Noir)
Themes: Amnesia, Mistaken Identities, Twins and Lookalikes
Main Cast: Dennis Haysbert, Mel Harris, Sab Shimono, Dina Merrill, Michael Harris
Release Year: 1994
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Suture, Scott McGehee and David Siegel's self-conscious exploration of identity and individuality, evokes a flashy remake of Edward D. Wood Jr.'s Jail Bait. Dennis Haysbert and Michael Harris play half-brothers Clay and Vincent Towers. Clay travels to Phoenix to meet with Vincent, whom he hasn't seen in years. Upon seeing one another, they are amazed at their resemblance to each other. Clay remarks, "Isn't it remarkable how much we look alike?" The problem is they look nothing alike: Clay is a black man who could pass for a Dallas Cowboys linebacker, while Vincent resembles Ralph Nader. Nevertheless, after their reunion, the characters in the film have trouble distinguishing between the two, which is good for Vincent. Responsible for a murder, Vincent decides to fake his own death by substituting Clay for himself -- since no one will notice the old switcheroo. Vincent arranges for Clay's body to be discovered in the aftermath of an automobile explosion. Then Vincent can flee and start a new life. Unfortunately for Vincent, Clay survives the accident. Swaddled in bandages and ointments, Clay is attended to by the beautiful Renee Descartes (Mel Harris), a plastic surgeon who busily reconstructs his face. At the same time, his psychiatrist Dr. Max Shimono (Sab Shimono) tries to reconstruct his memories. Before the healing process ends, Vincent tries to get to Clay and make sure that this time he really dies. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
Suture feels like a collaboration between Patricia Highsmith and Alfred Hitchcock, filtered through Jean-Paul Sartre and Chris Marker. While the filmmakers would probably take that as a compliment, many viewers may be turned off by the pretentious trappings of an otherwise old-fashioned identity-switch story. Suture certainly has a fabulous look. The black-and-white cinematography helps sell the theme of the fluidity of personal identity, as does the casting of a white actor and a black actor as look-alike half brothers. The fault in the screenplay is that Suture puts forth as text what Hitchcock and Highsmith in Strangers on a Train kept as subtext. Not for a minute do these characters seem like real people, and the film ends up playing more like a Philosophy 101 lecture than as a satisfying thriller. This same problem would occur again in the next film made by co-directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel, The Deep End. The duo have a great eye, and they get good work from actors, but Suture leaves the viewer with the feeling that it is something less than the sum of its parts. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
David Graf - Lt. Weismann; Fran Ryan - Mrs. Lucerne; John Ingle - Sidney Callahan; Sam Smiley - Doctor; Sally Dennison; Laura Groppe - Sportswoman; Patrick Rush; Mary Scheer - Witness; Sandy Gibbons - Sidney Callahan
Credit
Stephen Rice - Art Director, Buddy Enright - Co-producer, Laura Groppe - Co-producer, Laura Groppe - First Assistant Director, David Siegel - Director, Scott McGehee - Director, Lauren Zuckerman - Editor, Steven Soderbergh - Executive Producer, Buddy Enright - Production Designer, Greg Gardiner - Cinematographer, Michele Halberstadt - Producer, David Siegel - Producer, Scott McGehee - Producer, David Siegel - Screenwriter, Scott McGehee - Screenwriter
