The Usual Suspects is one of the most cleverly thought-out, original films ever made. I was one of the lucky minority who, while watching the film, had no idea that it contained one of the biggest and most famous twists in cinematic history.
I enjoyed the film throughout, and although, I must confess, I was a little confused about the plot at first, it wasn’t until the end that I realized what made this film so different from any other. To be able to suddenly change your perception of the characters you think you have finally understood at the end of the film certainly requires some talent.
The complicated plot focuses on ’Verbal’ Kint (Spacey), who tells the story of five mis-matched criminals, including himself, who are asked to do a job for (or with?) Keyzer Sozay, ’’the devil himself’’. However, to cut a long story short, everything is not what it seems, and the job suddenly becomes more complex than was first thought.
I have seen this film now about six or seven times, and not only am I still not even close to getting bored of it, I still notice new things every time.
For anyone who has not seen this film before, the twist will not only shock you, but also cause you to wonder how you had not worked it out earlier, with it being so blatantly obvious the second time around. But for those of you who have seen the film and didn’t work it out, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Bryan Singer does brilliantly to convince the viewer that the film is something it’s not in his directorial debut. Somehow, he also manages to keep a mysterious atmosphere constant throughout the film, as if something is going on that you are not yet aware of.
Spacey gives a stunning performance in his first big film, making it obvious why he won an oscar for his role. Among the other stars are Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin and even the engligh Pete Postlethwaite, all of whom also give faultless performances.
The script of the film is outstanding, with classic quotes like: ’’The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.’’
There were a number of films with unimaginable twists released in the nineties (eg. Devil’s Advocate, Sixth Sense, Fight Club), and of them I would say without a doubt that this is my favourite, being the first notable film of its kind.
This is not really a film you can fully describe without giving away the full plot, it is more a film you have to see for yourself to understand its brilliance. Although it does contain its fair share of violence and swearing, none of it is gratuitous. I would recommend you give this film a try.