The Usual Suspects

Plot

Five men, all with criminal pasts find themselves in a police line-up for a crime none of them claim to have committed. Little do they realise they have been put there by a mysterious cult figure, Keyzer Soze, from the criminal underworld that wants their help – as they have all unknowingly wronged him in the past. Reluctantly they agree to assist, as his hold on them grows more sinister as the days go by.

Direction

Nearly 30 years later, this still is one of the best criminal ‘heist’ films of all time, part of which is due to the direction of Singer. He does great work behind the camera, paying more attention to character and dialogue than action here.

There is also strong use of deep focus and colour contrasts – especially ‘blues’ during some dark indoor scenes and in the night scenes. The scene in which darkness coves over the ship when Soze arrives is effective with its tone.

There are some interesting choices when it comes to the violence depicted. When it does occur, it has early Tarantino vibes to it where we see the after math, or shown indirectly or obscured by obstacles.

There is great use of diegetic sound in some scenes, especially after the line-up and one character is ‘broken’

Cast/Characters

There is a fairly large cast, all who bring to the table their own personality to the table. The primary cast consists of Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollack, Kevin Spacey, Pete Postlethwaite and Benicio del Toro.

Suzie Amis is the sole female character with a named character, and even though this is the case, it doesn’t hurt the film.

Screenplay/Setting/Themes

Written by Christopher McQuarrie of Mission Impossible fame, still stands the test of time in how the film is constructed.

Told in a non-linear fashion, there are moments where the ‘narration’ of Spacey’s Verbal Kint fades into his discussion of events to the police interviewing him. The film also starts with the ending (and a major character death) – which ends with the one of the greatest reveals in cinema history.

There is also a couple of lines in which have been quoted countless times (the greatest trick).

Score/Soundtrack

There is a decent score that plays under the majority of the film and has a few key moments where is dynamic too really add to the drama – primarily in the hospital drawing scene.

Overall

Having been referenced in dozens of movies, this is the way to do a thriller – great cast, great direction and still one of the top twist endings of all time – I wish I could watch the moment Soze is revealed (with all the previous dialogue playing under it) for the first time again, and I still remember the ‘what the’ moment when I saw it. Easy top score

5/5