Film noir was one of the most iconic and stylish film genres of the twentieth century. In the 1990s there was a resurgence of interest with a spate of neo-noir movies being released. These built on the original aesthetic but employed contemporary visual styles and themes. The most notable are LA Confidential, King of New York, Lost Highway, Romeo is Bleeding and The Last Seduction. Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s debut film Suture may be of a lesser scale but it’s an impressively stylistic outing nonetheless.
Clay (Dennis Haysbert) wakes up with amnesia and badly disfigured after his car blows up. A kindly plastic surgeon (Mel Harris) rebuilds his face using pictures they have of his half-brother Vincent (Michael Harris), who staged the accident in order to assume his identity, as he’s the prime suspect in a murder. Clay cannot remember anything from his past, but working with psychoanalyst Max Shinoda (Sab Shimono) he gradually begins to piece together fragments.
Suture looks absolutely stunning and style takes precedence over any in-depth plot or an underlying message. The visuals aren’t the only things in black and white and the central conceit is a stroke of genius. Suture is a dark paranoid psychological thriller, and whilst it isn’t a great film by any means, its visual mastery and some brilliant touches make it an intriguing adventure.
Special Features:
- Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative
- High Definition (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD Presentations
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Audio commentary with writer-directors David Siegel and Scott McGehee
- All-new interviews with Siegel, McGehee, executive producer Steven Soderbergh, actor Dennis Haysbert, cinematographer Greg Gardiner, editor Lauren Zuckerman and production designer Kelly McGehee
- Deleted scenes
- Birds Past, Siegel & McGehee’s first short film, about two young San Franciscans who journey to Bodega Bay along the path set by Tippi Hedren in Hitchcock’s classic, The Birds.
- US theatrical trailer
- European theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by maarko phntm
Suture is released on Blu-ray and DVD by Arrow Video tomorrow.
