MovieChat Forums > Under Suspicion (2000) Discussion > The Final Scene!!! ---SPOILERS---

The Final Scene!!! ---SPOILERS---

posted 20 years ago by Jackar03
18 replies | jump to latest

My understanding for each character:

Morgan Freeman:

Since he knows Hackman confessed even if it wasn't him, he understand how deeply Hackman loved his wife. Hackman confessed cause his last ally, his wife, had turn him down when the police discovered pictures of the girls. The only person worthy to live for, his wife, doesn't have suspiscion anymore, she thinks he is guilty, so why continue the battle. Morgan Freeman looks at Gene, on the street because he has pity for him and probably a form of respect cause the guy loved his wife really hard to go through this. Compared to him, he divorced 2 times to avoid any sacrifices.

Monica Belucci:

From all this investigation, and the charges droped on her husband, all the suspiscion Monica had on him were gone, so she wanted to take her husband in her arms to show him is renewed love and respect.

Gene Hackman:

Turn down his wife because he had to go really deep inside him while being investigated. So I assume he understood, by all this process, how his life with Monica led him to a secret and not so glamorous life and how her jealousy control both their lifes and influence the life of others, just think of the step family. He had to confront this to realise how weird their situation is. So the fact that he got up from the bench and walked away from his wife instead of towards the bench where Monica was sitting, may tell us that he will change his life but this is thrown without any proof.

Additional note:

And the "I didn't think she'll go that far" or something like that, didn't mean that she had a role in the murders, it only means that she stepped the line from suspiscion to guilty.

Suspiscion is the name of the movie, so the main event for the finale is the step Monica does from suspscion to guilty. And the insecurity of Henri, as a character, comes from this suspiscion which went on for 2 years.

Regards,

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that we are given"

[–] codebreaker2001 20 years ago

Great analysis. :D

To me, when I saw the final scene, I thought it was sort of like a modernized Shakespeare ending. I'll break it down:

1. Setting: Though most of the events have taken place in a confined and chaotic environment (the police station), outside the chaos is totally different (inside: serious, outside: happiness).

2. Contradictions: The ending takes place during a happy celebration, where the only contradiction is the ending with the three characters.

3. Freeman's character- Freeman's character is much like the audience of the picture. We watch, from a distance and in safe spot, the tragic ending.

4. Bellucci's character- We see that she still loves Hackman's character. She wants to go to him, hold him and apologize for what happened. But his reaction to her when she tries to do so, she realizes that she's broken him. He fears her. She realizes that the only chance of making things right ceased after the thing with Camilla. She had all that time, but made the wrong choices and for all the wrong reasons.

5. Hackman's character- Obviously, he's a broken man. When we first see him, he walks with a high confidence. He knows who he is, what he can do and what direction his life is going. But in the end, we seem him in a mirror form: Lost, sadden, torn to pieces. When Bellucci's character goes to move towards him, he reacts in fear, as someone would if a stranger tried to hug you without saying a word to you first. And that's what his wife has become to him, a stranger. All illusions he had in the beginning of the film had been shattered.

6. Outcomes- For Freeman's character, I don't know. Maybe he stays at his job for a while longer and then retires. Maybe he makes police superintendent, maybe not. Bellucci's character, I think maybe she dwells on what happens and moves on. Maybe she apologizes to her sister and actually starts her relationship back with her family. As for Hackman's character, he ends up like he said he would. He ends up divorcing Bellucci's character, moving out of their house. He ends up living in someone's converted over-the-garage apartment, where he ultimately ends up becoming a retiree or maybe he becomes so depressed that he ends his life. His eyes tell of a sad future, not of a happy one.

[–] ishallnottellalie 20 years ago

Jesus man! u are all mistaken! Hakman's character is a strong man! His last look is not a sad one. Ends his life? Jesus no! His last look means only one thing: REVENGE. After Freeman's character hears that Hackman's character is not the killer there is a quick shot with the camera that was recording the confession of Hackman's character. The meaning of that shot? EVIDENCE that will bring demise to that whole police station filled with "morons".
In the last shot he looks at his wife that was now a thing of the past and then at Freemans character with a sober look, revengeful. He rises from the bench prepared to do some damage!

At the end,on that bench, when he comes to his senses, I think he remember what he said earlyer in that evening to the chief police when he was going on stage for the speech:

"Wait. Just pray that I am guilty of killing those girls ... because if I am, your boys walked over a monster. Be brushed under the carpet. But if I am not, THEN THE MONSTER CHANGES SIDES.[...] "
When he rises from the bench, his eyes are following Freeman's character until he gets out from the camera! Come on people! This is so obvious!!

Someone said that his reaction to his wife in the end is fright! COME ON!! U cant even see his face in that scene! ITS DISGUST!

U can talk all u want on this matter, I know I am right! Maybe u should ask the screenwriter of this movie to tell u that I am right! Have a good look on the eyes of Hackman at the end...

PS: leave Shakespeare alone...

[–] codebreaker2001 19 years ago

I don't know if you still read this, but now just having to read this myself, I have only one thing to say: Henry was not a strong man at the end of the story. His life was ripped to shreds. He was broken so bad in the end, revenge wouldn't even seem satisfying.

Of course, my previous state, as my statement now, is just an opinion of a possibility. There are thousands of outcomes. What I suggest could very well be one of the many.

But this one's eatting my popcorn!

[–] drusilla_vampyr 20 years ago

wow .. i never though of that before... i watched that film over and over, in french, in english... i never understood the ending... but now with your reflection i think i do..thanx!! :)

[–] jlowe-4 20 years ago

Great summary Jackar03, I truely enjoyed the film and now, truely enjoy is so much better after reading your thoughts on it

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[–] mgs4real 20 years ago

This is what the director and Morgan Freeman have to say about it. Hopkins states, "This was the premise of the whole film. WHY would someone confess to such a horrendous crime, which would incur such great self-disrepect and so much punishment." Freeman: "So much punishment." Hopkins: "In this case, he does it because the one he loves believes he's such a monster, he has nothing to live for." This ....from the commentary in special features on the DVD.

[–] CybernoidLevytron 19 years ago

this makes sense to me, however, the thing that gets me is HOW does he know how the girls are placed when he's going into great detail at the end about how he set them back up.

That, and the fact as somebody already mentioned, if somebody else did it, WHY did Hackman's character have pictures of the girls who were killed?!

[–] jgain 19 years ago

Because Morgan Freeman told him all of the details during the interrogation. He was repeating what he had been told.

As far as the pictures, did you see all of the photos that Hackman had in his dark room? He had literally thousands of pictures regarding everything on the island.

It would be like if you spent most days walking around your neighborhood taking pics of everything, and one day a neighbor kid turns up dead. If you took a bunch of pics in your neighborhood, chances are you would have a few of the dead kid. Then the police take that as evidence of your involvement...

[–] theocre 18 years ago

It should be considered that when a man is found guilty, judges tend to be more lenient in sentencing for defendants who confess than for those who persist in denial. After his wife had done him in an attorney like Hearst could have estimated that he didn’t have a chance of being acquitted and that he would have been better off confessing.

[–] sadpet 20 years ago

Yep. Great analysis Jackar. It finally makes some sense to me.

[–] page2114 19 years ago

I just saw the movie on cable and the ending had me confused.Thanks for the clarification.Why was Hackmans charcater taking pictures of young girls and why did he have the pictures of the dead girls in his dark room.Was he a pedophile but not a rapist and murderer?There is one problem I have with the script, it's hard to believe a rich and powerful man would tolerate that kind of treatment from police without his lawyer being present.And once his lawyer shows up the rest of the story would never fall into place.No search of house,no pictures etc.

[–] tomcat69w 19 years ago

Yet none of this reveal's "WHY" Hackman confessed to something he didn't do,...unless I missed something, and I do plan to study this movie. But give me reasons why he confesses. That part still evades me. Rock On.

The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get!

[–] abusementpark 19 years ago

i had a different take from the rest of you guys...

hackman confesses to save his wife, whom he believes at this moment to be in collusion with another man, most likely paco his sister in laws husband, to set him up and frame him for the murder of these young girls. hence he says " i never thought she'd go that far". he sees the photographs as a frame up, as he never took them. but he loves her so much, he'll confess. and it's beautiful because his confession makes her guilt all the more painful for her. he capitulates to prove his love and to speak very loudly to her that he knows. in a way he becomes complicit in the crime he believes she's committed. he can save her and destroy her at the same time in this way.

meanwhile, on seemingly another planet just a room away, chantal sees a monster, once her husband, confessing to these horrible crimes. she believes he did it, that he's capable of it and that he actually did it. the pictures they show him as evidence are photographs he took, and not exactly innocent, but just photographs. when the other officer comes in with evidence that it was someone
else entirely it becomes apparent what hackman is doing. the effect her punishment of him has had on him, all the little secrets about their dynamic, it's all laid bare. and morgan freeman is right in the middle to see it all. it's stunning.

they go out of the station free people, and he can't even look at her. it's shame they both feel.

[–] KickNeck 19 years ago

The way I saw it, Hackman came into the station trying to show power and confidence, but well knowing he had some connections to the slain girls (thru his pictures you can see he has had interactions w/ them at least)thus was hiding this fact in fear of looking like a pedophile. And well knowing he was innocent of the crimes, these facts shouldn't come up in the investigation.

But, then the wife comes into the picture and he's worried the reason their marriage has gone south will come up, and thus is does (giving him a motive). And when she allows them to find pictures of these slain girls (albeit proper pictures among 1000s' of other pictures), he knows that she has turned on him 100% and will help them toss the book at him. Thus the "I give up". The police were looking for that 1 more straw to arrest him, and his wife gladly gave it to them for what she thought he did 2 years ago.

Then, when they catch the real killer and he is set free and the wife has finally come to the realization that maybe she was wrong w/ the way she treated him and wanted him back, he turns his back to her. Not because of shame, but because of the same reasons she turned her back to him years ago. He was a broken man and she helped break him instead of supporting him or believing him. It was a big "I told you so, so screw you for treating me like crap for 2 years".

She didn't look shameful at 1st, she looked relieved and happy, then ashamed and sad after he turned away from her. Him, he just looked like a broken man that probably can't comprehend that something like this has happened to him, and in his eyes, it all started 2 years ago with his wife.

[–] moviebrainrot 19 years ago

The pictures really threw me off.

What are the chances of Hackman's character taking random pictures of little girls that eventually beoome raped murdered?

That part is almost odd.

Unless, the film is meant to almost be surreal in a way, and Hackman's character felt that the truth revealed is not really his truth, but his guilt and vanity does not hide the fact of his truest form of love.

[–] Glennvanderpas 19 years ago

He was a photographer it was a hobby. He probably went round the island photographing things and recognized the girls.

The filmakers should of made things clearer but it makes u think and is very adult. Good film shamed it bombed too clever for its own good.

Its the best kind man, i got it from a negro!

[–] gracer101 19 years ago

Here's the way I looked at it. He confessed at the end because the woman he loved thought he was guilty of such horrible crimes, that was something he could not handle so he confessed to end the nightmare.

The scene at the end is the cop's regret that he did not at least try to believe the suspect since they obviously go way back and his astonishment that he loved his wife so much to actually end his life simply because she did not believe in his innocense and he obviously felt bad and sorry for him.

As for Heckman's character, he was broken when he confessed but I believe that his rejection of his wife showed that he got himself together instead of crying on her shoulders, that is definately a strong character. He did what he should have done a long time ago, end his relationship with his wife.

As for the pictures, one of the girls is his neighbor and he obviously likes taking pics and the other one lived where he went for hookers and he probably took pics while being there.

[–] tcris 19 years ago

Interesting, but wrong!
Because his wife thought HE is the guily one, just after he had "confessed". Remember that she spit on the window separating them? Just after he addmitted the crimes? Well, I think that at that moment, she became sure of his guilt, no more suspicion but pure guilt.
So, the conspiracy theory (she and Paco) just doens't match here. Nothing was framed to him. His lies, were the lies of a scared man.

Something more to be added, perhaps, that a window was separating him from his wife almost all the time. To me, it seems that the window, a window through which you can only watch from one side to another (and not a transparent window) is a symbol for their relationship. He loves her, she doesn't loves him. Not anymore. Unidirectional. And because its unidirectional, it's separating them. Just like their feelings.