The Usual Suspects (1995)

Great movie with superb performance from Kevin Spacey, well accompanied with the rest of the cast.

Keaton always said, "I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him." Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze.

The Usual Suspects is directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie. It stars Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Pollack, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio Del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite, Giancarlo Esposito and Dan Hedaya. Music is by John Ottman and cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel.

Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint (Spacey) attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors.

It sort of sidled into movie theatres in 1995 with no fanfare or heralded notices. Yet it wasn't long before word of mouth got around that The Usual Suspects might actually be the must see film of the year. Fledgeling director and writer - Singer and McQuarrie - produce a masterclass of crime/mystery/noir plotting in a whirl of intricate plot shifts and deft sleights of hand.

The core essence of the story is simple, just who is Keyser Soze? His reputation is one of utter fear, he may even be the devil himself. What transpires throughout the film is a number of scenes told in flashback form and narrated by Kint as the cops put the heat on him.

We are introduced to the five criminals who make up the suspects of the title, where dialogue pings with machismo laced humour. The addition of Postlethwaite's Kobayashi character, one of Soze's harbinger's of doom, further ups the ante of the story's deliciously corkscrew intrigue.

It all builds to a climax that - has you pondering just what you have watched previously. Yet here's the key as to why the pic still holds up on repeat viewings, we have been outsmarted, for as we dive in and enjoy the across the board great perfs, we have been privy to something that will stand the test of time for the genre it sits in. The repeat viewings factor still, some decades later, is as strong as ever.

The advent of time and home format releases etc have only improved the pic's own mythical status. Behind the scenes egos and dislikes on set only add further strength to the characterisations, as does one main man thinking he himself must be Soze when in fact he was way off. There's a trail of clues in the film that will reveal who Soze is - who knew!? - and on it goes. The Usual Suspects is the filmic gift that keeps on giving. 10/10

**A clever twist and heavy fan support are the only stand-out aspects of this average heist film.**

Bloggers, reviews, and friends hyped The Usual Suspects for years before I finally watched it, and it was ok. The movie had a pretty clever plot twist that the entire film was building towards from the beginning. Unfortunately, without the twist, the film is pretty mediocre. Brute force characterized the heists over clever planning. Keyser Söze's brilliant manipulation of the characters around him seems less mastermind and more taking advantage of criminals that aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. Many people would disagree with me, but The Usual Suspects rates average at best for me.

**A film that deserves to be revisited and remembered.**

I think it's unfair that this movie seems to be so forgotten nowadays, but maybe that's because of the intricate plot, loaded with flashbacks. I can understand that, but I think there are even more confusing films out there that have never gone out of style. Anyway, it's a quality film, with good actors and a story, to say the least, intriguing. A small note: the film took home both Oscars for which it was nominated (Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor).

It all starts when a group of men, apparently random, is taken by the police to participate in a line-up. What seems at first very casual, is not: all of them were criminals well known to the authorities, and most particularly one of them, who was also a policeman and seemed to have retired from crime and to be living an honest life. After this opening scene, the film shows the efforts of the police to capture those responsible for a shooting on a boat, with several dead and a single survivor, who will tell everything that happened. And I say no more because this script is one of those that gets better the less you know in advance.

The cast is dominated by two great actors: Gabriel Byrne and Kevin Spacey. Each in their respective character, but both very committed to their work, they steal the public's attention whenever they appear, ending up being, in a way, complementary: Spacey gives life to an apparently fragile and sick man who would be the most unlikely suspect, whereas Byrne is the typical "tough guy". I don't know if I can say that this film is Spacey's best so far, maybe that's premature, but it's safe that his work here opened doors for him to fly higher. Four years later, he would go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor with “American Beauty”. Byrne, on the other hand, is one of those talented actors who never seem to have had their big moment in cinema. I also want to highlight the good work of Pete Postlethwaite, in yet another secondary character of strong relevance, two years after receiving his (only so far) Oscar nomination.

Technically, I think it's worth praising the direction of Bryan Singer, who stayed true to the suspense and managed to resist the temptation to let the film slip into loud and noisy action scenes that weren't really necessary. The best thing about the film is the tense environment it builds, the enigmatic and mysterious way in which it tells its story, and this would have been partly lost if the director filled his film with random shootings and chases. Another point that deserves a note of praise is the soundtrack, and in particular the main theme, used in the opening and end credits, and which is perfectly atmospheric. The rest remains average, but is done without glaring errors. The only points I feel I should criticize negatively are the opening credits graphics, which look very dated now.

Upon watching The Usual Suspects, I was initially excited to see what all the hype was about however, I found the film to be somewhat of a letdown. That being said, I do think that there were some strong aspects to the movie.

From a technical standpoint, The Usual Suspects was quite impressive. The camera direction by Bryan Singer was particularly noteworthy, especially given that this was only his second full-length feature film.

Where the movie fell short for me was in the writing. While the dialogue and overall story were intriguing, the way they were executed left much to be desired. In particular, the first act of the film was disjointed and difficult to follow. The audience was thrown right into the middle with the suspected criminals, with little information given about their backstories or their connections to one another. As new characters were introduced, the plot became even more complex and convoluted, making it challenging to keep up with all the moving pieces. Once the film starts to conclude the second act, the pieces become a little more streamlined, which makes the back half of the movie much more enjoyable.

In terms of acting, the performances were a bit of a mixed bag. Some actors, such as Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne, delivered grounded and impressive performances. However, other characters felt like overacted caricatures of quirky criminals, such as Benicio del Toro's character.

One of the main selling points of The Usual Suspects is its "incredible" twist ending. However, I personally saw it coming from a mile away, which was a bit disappointing. It's possible that the film's score may improve upon a second viewing, but for now, I can only give it three stars. That rating is primarily due to the strong technical aspects of the movie, as without those, it would likely only receive two-and-a-half stars.

Score: 56% ⚠️
Verdict: Decent