The Usual Suspects

A police interrogation of a criminal outcast pieces together a flashback mosaic of past events leading to the tragic explosion of a boat in the harbor. Sophisticated dark film-noir in which, in the end, everything is completely different than it seems even at the penultimate glance. A perfect screenplay built on flashback sequences and detailed characterisation, made for an unbelievable $6 million. One actor who was still unknown at the time got very lucky here in that he got a role that made him a demigod for quite some time. I want a sequel in which I can enjoy his character for more than ten seconds so that he doesn’t remain just a mythical revelation to me! (23/06/2002)

It’s funny how some films are fully appreciated only after a second screening, and The Usual Suspects is one of them. The story, which at first I found uninteresting and didn’t understand, now completely engrossed me, and I enjoyed every clever scene, all the sharp dialogue and, above all, I admired the performance of Kevin Spacey, which was absolutely amazing and deserving of an Oscar award as few others have. Thanks to its relatively short runtime, the story flows like water, Singer's imaginative and stylish direction, together with a precisely scored soundtrack, gives it enormous depth and power, and then there’s the final twist with the legendary villain Keyser Soze, who gives his rivals the shivers just by his name alone, puts the crown, making it one of the best crime films of all time. Simply brilliant craftsmanship, with a refinement, rawness and elegance that cannot be fully grasped in one viewing. 98% (02/08/2012)

A script this perfect would have deserved a little more dynamic direction in my opinion. Singer does conjure up the occasional really playful scene (Kobayashi in the elevator, the cut from the scene where the cops pick up Kevin Pollak), but the whole thing has too much of an 80s static feel for me. It's helped quite a bit by the literally brutal scenes (plus, where else are you going to see a child getting killed in a shot). Otherwise, though, it's a terribly entertaining film. (17/12/2010)

Let's face it, the final punchline does a lot. Tremendously. It shakes the entire movie, everything you've watched. Otherwise, it would be a fairly good detective case, but the punchline and the mastery of Kevin Spacey, primarily, is the spice that brought Singer into the spotlight. However, it cannot be taken away from him that he knows how to shoot individual scenes. (02/12/2013)

If you've seen this film and for some reason stopped watching a few minutes before the end because you thought you had it all figured out, I guarantee you've seen a completely different film. Does it sound weird? Not for this film, not at all. A brilliant ending that in the last few seconds turns everything on its head. By the way, first Oscar for Kevin Spacey and Oscar for screenplay. (13/04/2003)