Thrillers & Suspense

Director Michael Crichton's latest, a cop thriller called Physical Evidence, stars Burt Reynolds and Theresa Russell, who fail to breathe life into the film's clumsy script. Critic Stephen Schiff wonders if Crichton was having an out-of-body experience when he directed the movie.

Critic Ken Tucker's disappointment in a VHS guide to blackjack dashed his dreams of becoming a professional gambler. At least he can recommend some solid home video releases to watch this summer.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "The Manchurian Candidate," starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Janet Leigh. The film was originally produced in 1962 but was never distributed because of a squabble between Sinatra, who owned the rights to the film, and the producers.

Film Director Bob Swaim, best known for the 1982 thriller "La Balance." His new film, "Masquerade," stars Rob Lowe and Meg Tilly. It's the first film Swaim has made in America; it was shot in New York State for MGM. Swaim, who has spent the last 20 years in France, first moved to Paris in 1965 to study anthropology with Claude Levi-Strauss.

Film Critic Stephen Schiff will review "Suspect," the courtroom thriller/love story starring Cher and Dennis Quaid.

Ken Tucker will review the home video release of the 1955 classic "The Night of the Hunter," starring Robert Mitchum as a creepy Appalachian preacher, and Shelly Winters as a gullible widow.

Film Critic Stephen Schiff will review "Fatal Attraction," staring Glenn Close and Michael Douglas. It's about a one-night stand that evolves into a fatal obsession.

Wes Craven discusses violence in motion pictures and his film "The Last House on the Left."