The Usual Suspects (1995)
Five criminals,
one line up, but none are guilty. When a bunch of career criminals are randomly
rounded up by the cops to investigate a heist, they all deny any involvement.
Since the crooks know each other and given the opportunity to meet, they team
up to pull off another heist, and make off with a bundle of cash. Little do
they know, a criminal mastermind lurks in the shadows, and has chosen this team
of thieves, killers and con artists to do a job for him. Do they have a choice?
No. Will they all live? Unlikely. And as events are told in flashback by the
lone survivor, there is more to this story than we first understand, and the
mystery of the criminal mastermind pulling all the strings will be revealed.
The Usual
Suspects stands out as one of the best films of the 90’s. It’s certainly a fan
favourite for many moviegoers, who proudly know the twist ending they wouldn’t
dare reveal. I won’t spoil it here for you either, granted you haven’t seen the
film. That type of discussion warrants a whole other review. But for now, consider
this your introduction to one of the best crime caper flicks ever.
The movie doesn’t take its audience for granted. The story isn’t too complicated, but it’s non-linear storytelling might leave some viewers behind who aren’t paying attention. As the events involving the criminals is explained by Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) we are pulled into the underworld of crime across New York and Los Angeles. The cast are handpicked to perfection, led by Spacey (who won an Oscar for his role) Gabriel Byrne, and joining him are Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollack, Chaz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite and Benicio Del Toro in one of his earliest roles. Every performer portrays their character in fine form, and each of them have lot of dialogue to work through. The film is heavy on the talk, and has a couple of action scenes, but don’t come to the movie expecting lots of shoot outs and car chases. Rather, you will see top-notch acting, and taut direction delivering a brilliant story that unfolds out of order, but moves at a pace where you won’t be bored. The film demands your attention and you will be rewarded for it.
Over the
years, The Unusual Suspects has gone on to garner cult status for its superb
twist ending on the same level of The Sixth Sense – if you’ve seen either film,
you know you can’t ruin the ending for anyone. The other appeal of the movie is
the almost mythical status of its central villain, Keyser Soze.
As Verbal
tells the story in a police station to an agent, we hear about this mastermind
criminal who all other crooks fear and most cops would love to catch. But the
thing is, no one alive has ever seen him. His reputation is dark and morbid,
and his legacy has become legend. When it’s revealed he has resurfaced to
orchestrate this heist and threaten the usual suspects with their lives if they
don’t cooperate, we the audience are treated to a character villain for the
ages. He remains out of view, is clever, creative and anyone who knows his
name, shudders with fear.
The Usual
Suspects is worth your time. Despite the fall of Kevin Spacey in recent times,
you can try to switch off from that and enjoy his work here which is excellent.
All the cast deliver in every area. Earing its place as a modern classic, The Usual
Suspects thrills and entertains, and requires repeated viewing. Although you
will know the ending after first viewing, there is still plenty to be
experienced upon a second watch. I’m guilty of having watched it about fifteen
times I assume, but I never tire of it. The story is so well handled, and that
classic reveal at the end is pure genius. All I can say in my admiration of
this film without spoiling it for those yet to watch it is, “The greatest trick
the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn’t exist”. Once you’ve
seen how it ends, you’ll understand what that means.
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