The Usual Suspects (1995)

Half clever & rather ridiculous.

Look, Mr. Super Criminal ("Soze") walks free at the end and we're supposed to think oh what a winner he is and withal, he's evil...and he gets even with anyone who messes with him...what a man.--However, aside from the fact that Soze has no friends and never will, some rich executives in the Carolinas have LEGALLY screwed him well and Soze is too dumb to know it.--I mean of course the cigarettes he buys from the tobacco companies and the heart disease/cancer he probably has.--The shareholders of Philip Morris Corp. must have laughed their butts off if they watched this. In addition, as many have already said, Soze blew his identity at the end, which cancels what he had supposedly been trying to do. October 10, 2008

One surprise after another. I could never guess what's happening next, especially the ending. No wonder it got 2 Ocars in 1996

It contains one surprise after another. I could never guess what's happening next, especially the ending.

If you like a different story with unexpected turns. This is a MUST-SEE.

The ony trouble is after you watch it once, the second time is not as suspenseful more because you already know what's happening.

No wonder it got 2 Ocars in 1996. One was given to Christopher McQuarrie for best screenplay. The other was given to Kevin Spacey for best supporing actor. September 15, 2008

The American thriller of the nineties

Such films like this should be enshrined in museums, simply due to the fact it destroyed the entire genre of mystery films. While this film was unique and captivating, no other mystery will ever accomplish this sort of cult status, single handedly shaping a genre. While most mysteries try to shock you too often with twists and even more twists, it turns out to be overkill. This film encompassed such ideas with flair and originality, which is probably the reason Brian Singer is sticking to sci-fi action films. Only Memento and The Game are the only recent mystery movies worthy enough to stand beside this film. Sadly, Singer has somewhat sold out by doing the X-Men movies, but I guess trying to make films like this would be too taxing. This film will always bring a smile to my face when I watch it with someone who hasn't seen this movie. A good viewing every time I watch it, the new special edition DVD is awesome. August 20, 2008

Maybe a little too usual...

I will say that `The Usual Suspects' is entertaining, because to say otherwise would be a bold faced lie. I won't say that it was deserving of all the hype it received, because to say that would also be a bold faced lie. No, `The Usual Suspects' is a decent crime thriller that proves to have a `twist' ending that becomes more and more predictable as you start putting pieces together. The script is probably the best and worst thing about this movie. When you look at all the thought that went into constructing the plot (or lack there of) you can't help but be taken aback by the effort put into it, but when all is said and done the twist at the end seems very rudimentary and the overall concept of the film lacks that freshness that could have been achieved had the envelope been pushed a little further.

The film begins with a bang, or an explosion to be more precise. A cargo ship goes up in flames and next thing you know we are brought back to how it all began, with five men standing in a lineup. These five men include criminals Michael McManus, Fred Fenster and Todd Hockey as well as one time cop Dean Keaton and small time crook Roger Kint, also known as Verbal (because he talks to much). After the men meet the wheels are set in motion for something much more complicated (and possibly fabricated) than anything they've been involved with before; all of which boils down to a man named Keyser Soze.

The film is told in flashbacks by Verbal as he is interrogated after the ship explosion, he being the only survivor. As Verbal weaves a thick web of truth, partial truth and absolutely no truth it is up to Dave Kujan to sort through it all to find out just who Keyser Soze really is.

The acting is truly hit or miss here, and I think the misses really took the overall experience of the film down a few notches. The only real standout is Kevin Spacey who isn't even delivering his best (his performance in `Se7en' that same year is what should have garnered him the Oscar, not this one). Among the decent are Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollak and Chazz Postlewaite. Stephen Baldwin is horrendous and Benicio Del Toro (an actor for which I am usually amazed by) is ridiculous here. I understand creating a `character' and I can generally stand behind that, but his performance was so obnoxious and annoying that I loathed his presence on the screen. Spacey at least develops a character that is interesting, and even though he has delivered much stronger performances in other films he really carries the bulk of this film on his shoulders, and the moments that do work, work because of him.

The film noir style is also a bit off here. I love a good film noir, and films like `Chinatown', `The Griffters' and the recent `Brick' really understood the concept and delivered brilliantly. `The Usually Suspects' doesn't quite get it to the point where whole sequences come off as awkward as apposed to genuine.

So a lot has been made about the `twist' that comes at the end of this film. Some absolutely love it and stake their everlasting devotion to this film on the last few moments alone. Others absolutely loathe it and feel that it killed the entire experience up till that point. I'm personally torn because the `twist' comes in two parts really, and one part I find to be genius, the other I find to be a serious cop out; an easy route to take.

I'm going to yell SPOILER right here so that I can't get yelled at for this and if you have not seen this movie you can stop reading right here.

Having the revelation come about that the entire film up till the last few moments was a complete façade, an exaggerated fabrication of actual events, was genius. Having the audience come to know that nothing they witnessed was actual and leaving them still scratching their heads, as was Kujan, wondering what `really' happened was just awesome in my opinion. Having Verbal wind up being Soze was not. I actually hate that aspect of the film. It just feels so washed up to me, like they ran out of originality. I guessed that Verbal was Soze about half way into the film, the moment Soze's name first came up and I was praying that the `twist' would prove me wrong. Sadly, it didn't. So I merely like the ending as apposed to hating or loving it. I would probably still have nominated the screenplay since it was, for the most part, really well done, but I wouldn't have given it the Oscar.

In the end I see `The Usual Suspects' as a decent thriller that entertains as best it can. Some mediocre acting and one devastating plot blow brings the film down for me, but I can't say that it is a complete waste of time. It ends up earning a high C, just barely under a low B. It is good but it is missing a few key elements to reach greatness. August 15, 2008

Things aren't always what they seem

The final climactic moment in The Usual Suspects is the vehicle by which this movie is mostly either worshipped or despised bitterly. Depending on how you see it, we either feel cheated about such a bizarre, seemingly impossible ending, or amazed at the curve ball thrown at us, under our noses the entire time. We may even wonder if this ending is proper etiquette, or "fair game, for a suspense to employ. Some may have seen it coming, but to those who didn't, it makes for one great surprise.

As odd as it may sound, I don't think that you can judge this movie on acting alone. Sure, Kevin Spacey does an exceptional job as Verbal Kint, who is interrogated by Detective Kujan. And Gabriel Byrnne does a commendable performance as Keating, a corrupt cop supposedly trying to steer right, but who gets back into the mix. Some of the performances aren't fantastic, but this is one time where I don't think they have to be. The method of getting to the story's climax is what "makes" this suspense fantastic. With the use of going back in forth in time, from the present in the detective's office where Kint is telling his story, to the past, where we not only learn about the five thugs who decide to the take the big job for Keyser Soze, to learning about each one of the five. There are some plot events that you will naturally look back to as "aha" moments. You can credit the screen writers for coming up with this; a creative job of making this work, which usually doesn't work in movies, or ends up sloppy.

In many respects, the mystery surrounding Keyser Soze is what makes this puzzle a little more than the average mystery. As you watch the film, it is actually this character, real or fake, that derives much of the motivation for actions of the thieves, such as their decision to take the big job on the boat. Soze is one of the worst villains of the film, and yet, much of the film you are trying to figure out if the infamous killer is more man or more myth. The mystery surrounding this diabolical character's whereabouts, and his association with evil, seems to give the film's final moments even more significance and tenseness.

Smart writing carries this film, albeit with a superfluity of profanity spewed about. Its plot is its main strength, and this is the kind of film you can watch again and pick up on things you missed before. Watch this film remembering to take note of all that is seen, and remembering that sometimes things aren't always what they seem.

July 21, 2008

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