The Usual Suspects [1995]
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. And like that, poof, he’s gone.”
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Benicio del Toro, Pete Postlethwaite.
Movies that feature big plot twists (and few have twists as big as the one in The Usual Suspects) tend to lose their replay value after that great first watch. Sure, you pick up on a few (sometimes pretty obvious) clues scattered throughout the first and second act, but the payoff at the end is gone.
That’s what I discovered earlier this week when I revisited this 1995 neo-noir thriller. It’s a fantastic movie, of course, but it’ll never feel as amazing as that first time. In a weird way, the awesomeness of its finale ruined the film for me, forever.
I can still appreciate its beauty, though: the phenomenal script by Christopher McQuarrie, backed by the assured, stylish direction from Bryan Singer (before his career started to go downhill); the score. The cast is hit and miss, but mostly the former, thankfully. Baldwin, Byrne, Pollak, Palminteri and Postlethwaite deserve praise for their work, while usually stellar Del Toro achieves a career low with his cringe-worthy “Fenster”. The star of the film is Kevin Spacey, in a genius performance that carries the movie and garnered the actor his first Academy Award.
I was blown away with that ending Fernando. It been a long time since I’ve seen it again but I imagine your right. The shock would struggle to achieve the same power when you know what to expect. I have to say though, I actually enjoyed Del Toro’s performance. I don’t think he was used enough.
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Well, I hated him haha. I thought he was such a caricature
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It was quite possibly the role that got del toro noticed. As for Spacey, he was marvellous but I might be being a bit more controversial by saying that I think Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys deserved the oscar that year.
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Not that controversial as Brad Pitt was great in that film and definitely deserved the nomination. I am glad Spacey won, however.
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Loved this movie so much, but I loved Del Toro too! You’re right though, Kevin Stacey steals it by a mile.
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Haha, I couldn’t stand him. Hated the character and the performance, but other people seem to love it. He’s a great actor, though.
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Great review Fernando. I enjoyed this the first time around, but completely agree with you in respect of the replay value. Unfortunately I don’t think I’d get the same out of it the second time around. That saying, Rob hasn’t seen it yet so I imagine I’ll see it again at some point. I have no need to watch it any time soon though.
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I guess seeing Rob’s face as he watches the twist will be worth it 😉 hehe and thanks!
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One of my favorites, great review! I need to sit down with this one again…It’s been too long.
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Thanks 🙂 Let me know what you think of it after a few years!
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That’s a cool poster, never seen that before. I should watch this again. I remember really liking this and was blown away by the ending. Of course you already know I LOVE Gabriel Byrne in this 🙂
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Thanks 🙂 Well, featuring fan-made art is sort of my signature, so I’m glad you liked the poster. And yes, I know you loved Byrne in this. He was great but, of course, Spacey’s my favorite.
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The huge twist at the end definitely made it so much better than I was expecting at first, but it’s also Spacey’s performance that just adds an extra sense of sinister to it all. He’s evil and you just don’t know it yet until we all find out the truth at the end. Good review.
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Thanks, and you are so right about Spacey. He’s absolutely stellar.
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Definitely one of the great “reveals” in films. I would have to say IMO that virtually all movies are best when I see them for the first time. With that said, I still can enjoy this film.
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I disagree. The Usual Suspects works perfectly the first time and loses something with every other viewing but I’ve found myself enjoying many movies more after several watches.
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Thought I’d commented before, but it looks as if I haven’t. I love crime stories like this, but I haven’t seen it yet. I keep thinking it’s a comedy for some reason–it’s not, is it? Maybe it’s just the poster for this reminding me of the poster for A Fish Called Wanda. The weird way my mind works. I’ll try to catch this when I get a chance. I have The Iron Lady out on rental, so I’m going to watch that this weekend. Been anticipating watching Meryl Streep all week. Expect a review probably Saturday, if not, then Sunday.
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No, it’s definitely not a comedy. You should see it when you get the chance. Great writing, great twist and, of course, a great performance by Kevin Spacey. Enjoy Ms. Streep’s performance in The Iron Lady! 🙂
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She literally shines in every work I’ve seen of hers (except, of course, Manhattan, which is in B&W so she can’t ACTUALLY shine
bad joke), so I’m expecting the best of her.
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Haha, I was ready to go on a rant before I saw it was a joke, hehe 😉
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Yeah, I couldn’t find how to phrase it differently. I’m not very good at concocting my own jokes, let alone puns. My intend was to say that when using black and white cinematography, you can’t literally shine (a la the Sun). 🙂 I have absolutely nothing against B&W films and nothing against Meryl.
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Hehe, I know 😉
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This is one of my favorite movies ever. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it and I never get tired of watching it.
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I remember you telling me that you have been chastised for not having seen Star Wars. Quick–go and rent the original Star Wars (you can find it now as Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, which is the reissue title it was given in 1997 because George Lucas got an idea for a prequel trilogy which he started two years later). Today, it celebrates its 35th anniversary!! Best to see it now than later. 😀
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Someone told me how it ended so when I saw it a little later the movie was ruined for me. I never got what people loved about this movie because of it. 😦 Cheers!
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Hehe, sorry about that!
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nice review. agree with this. very good movie with low replay value
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I’m watching this right now and I’m shocked that so many actually love Del Toro’s performance. Glad we’re at least in agreement.
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I’m glad too. It was way too annoying.
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