Review of The Usual Suspects (1995) by Chris W — 19 Dec 2012

One of the best film's of the 90's.

Try not to let that raise your expectations too much. That's just my opinion. It also happens to be shared by many others, and for good reason.

This taut suspense thriller is a complex and convoluted tale about a crippled small-time con man named Roger 'Verbal' Kent. Verbal is the only witness and key suspect connected to an explosion on a ship that left 27 men dead, the lone survivor horribly burned, and $91 million worth of cocaine supposedly believed to be on board missing. Biding his time at a police station, Verbal tells Detective Dave Kujan a complex and convoluted tale of how he and four other criminals became involved in the ill-fated ship incident.

The film starts off as a twisty-turny whodunnit, but eventually evolves into so much more. Many people have already spoiled the ending, but I won't. I'll just say it's a genius payoff, and one of the best executed plot twists ever, regardless of the many parodies and imitators.

The film is definitely a love it or hate it sort of deal. It's not really about what you think its about, and I was okay with that. I sometimes really love a movie that screws around with you, makes you think, and delivers something far from conventional. It's very compelling, and I'm very happy that Christopher McQuarrie won an Oscar for his script.

Kevin Spacey won an Oscar for his work as Verbal, and I'm also happy with that decision. He's really awesome, but he's not alone. Backing him up are an all-star cast that include Chazz Palminteri, Dan Hedaya, Pete Postlethwaite, Kevin Pollack, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, and Stephen Baldwin among others. All of them deliver top notch work, and they seem like they had a really good time working together.

John Ottman's score is wonderful mysterious and atmospheric, his editing is also quite good, there's some excellent cinematography to boot. Just the whole atmosphere, mood, and tone of this movie impress me. Every time I see it, I just get sucked in right from the start and I'm held in awe all the way through.

This film remains Bryan Singer's masterpiece, and I strongly urge you all to check it out.