The Usual Suspects

Starring: Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollack, Pete Postlethwaite, Kevin Spacey
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Thriller
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 5

Awards:
The Movie Files Movie Championship II: Sweet Sixteen

Summary: After a boat explosion that kills a number of criminals and burns up millions of dollars, police interrogate the only survivors- a burnt and shell shocked hungarian and Verbal Klint (Kevin Spacey), who tells a tale of mythical crime lord Keyser Soze and his involvement with Klint's criminal coworkers(Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollack, Benicio Del Toro).

Review:

Tim: The Usual Suspects is an intense, exciting film noir-esque thriller that grabs ahold of you and never lets go. It is an exceptionally well made thriller that is incredibly entertaining as well. The film succeeds so well because of the mythic character of Keyser Soze. He evokes such feelings of fear on screen that you can't help but feeling afraid, too. When the burned Hungarian in the hospital shouts, "Keyser Soze! Keyser Soze!!" a chill runs down my spine every time. I wouldn't even want to whisper his name at night, because I'd get the chills. That is how fearfully cool he is. That is one of the greatest legacies of this film- it has given cinema one of the greatest villains of all time (in my opinion).

Bryan Singer directs a brilliant film that tells its tale through the eyes of Verbal Kint, played wonderfully by Kevin Spacey. The film has such an amazing cast- Gabriel Byrne, Steven Baldwin, Kevin Pollack, and Benicio Del Toro are all great together. Spacey, however, steals the show with one of the greatest crime thriller performances I have ever seen. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and absolutely deserved it. I also though Byrne gave a particularly strong performance. Chazz Palminteri is also particularly strong. Stephen Baldwin does occasionally go over-the-top, but his performance is important, too.

The Usual Suspects twists and turns all around the legend of Keyser Soze, and finally ends with a bang the likes of which few films can compete with. I'd say the end of the films ranks up in the top ten greatest endings of all time. It is just the perfect conclusion to a stunningly effective film.

I really love this movie. I admit there are a few weak moments (the middle of the film sags far too much), but these flaws are minimal. This is one of my favorite movies, and one I could watch over and over again. I obviously can't say enough about this movie. I love being there to watch people see this movie for the first time (and I love watching it every time, too).

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Sixth Sense, X-Men, Memento, Reservoir Dogs