The Usual Suspects (1995)

I've actually watched this film multiple times, but I rewatched it just to make sure it was good, and look out.  It's good.  The Usual Suspects was my first Bryan Singer film and had been a childhood favorite of mine for a while.  I've loved a lot of great things in this film.  The acting, directing, story, characters, and dialogue were all phenomenal.  The film starts off slowly, giving a rather simple plot at first.  Then, many twists and turns are thrown your way and it's one hell of a ride to watch.  This entire week I've watched 8 other movies: Re-Animator (7/10), Breakfast Club (5/10), Arachnophobia rewatch (8/10), There Will Be Blood rewatch (6/10), and the next couple are not worthy of a mention, due  to their value being extremely low.  However, the Usual Suspects earns the best film of the week award, and it wasn't a close finish.  It blew the other films away.

The Usual Suspects starts off really simple.  After a truck has been hijacked and stolen, the police officers capture 5 very high profile criminals: Fenster (played by Benicio del Toro), McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), Hockney (Pete P.), and Keaton (played by Gabriel Bryne).  Now, they are all very suspicious as to why they were all put in one lineup because you never put 5 very good criminals in the same lineup.  They soon find out that it is a setup, and are put there for one reason, which I won't specify.  However, they are all there because one man wants them to be there; Keyser Soze.  Keyser Soze is a myth, an urban legend, who is rarely seen.  He brings the group together, so that they can take out a huge stash of coke that a rival, Hungarian gang is selling to the Argentinians.  Of course....there is more to this plot than meets the eye, and when it comes full circle, you'll be amazed.

The best part of the Usual Suspects is the dialogue.  It's snappy, quick, and very witty at times.  The actors speak a mile a minute, so you better be paying close attention to what they say or you'll be forced to rewind the scene to get the dialogue right.  While this may not bode well with many people, this actually gives the film a huge advantage for me.  There is a lot of things to be said in this film and if they spoke at a mild pace, it would really slow the film down.  Also, there are moments of pure wit and hilarity.  When I had to rewind a scene because I missed one important line, I found a couple of funny one-liners tossed in, such as when McManus broke the fourth wall.  It's fun to know that there are some lines you'll miss, so you test yourself to see if you got it.  Many casual moviegoers will be scratching their heads trying to make sense, that is if they have slow hearing.  However, most people shouldn't really have a problem.

Another wonderful thing is the style and acting.  It's a very slickly made film, featuring Singer's typical flare that he adds to all his films.  The camera pans are stylistic and some shots are purely magical.  I love when a film can combine both style and substance into one amazing concoction of epic proportions, and this film is one of those films.  Unlike *cough*Drive*cough*, it has enough narrative smarts and more than 1 line of dialogue per scene.  And unlike Bullhead (fight me, Belgians), it has enough style to keep the film fresh and unique.  However, where the film is nearly at it's best is the acting.  All of the actors gave well rounded performances.  Gabriel Bryne as Keaton is a mix of anger and self loathing.  Benicio Del Toro has great comedic moments in his scenes, though he was more of a background character.  Stephen Baldwin gave a good performance as well.  However, the one man that stole the show....was none other than John Doe: Kevin Spacey.  I've always known Spacey was a great actor, but here, it's like on a different level.  Sure, his John Doe performance in Se7en was great.  One of the best.  However, I completely found myself more interested in Verbal Kint.  A truly unique character, with some great acting, can end up being the best thing ever.

Overall, to keep it short.  The Usual Suspects is one of my favorite films ever.  It's fast paced, fun, and filled to the brim with great dialogue.  The acting is phenomenal from all, especially Kevin Spacey.  The dialogue is spoken a little too fast at times.  And I did predict the ending, though I doubted it a couple of times.  And Benicio del Toro should've had a bigger part in it.  However, those flaws are easily outmatched by this simple, yet cunning film.  Crafted by a good director in Springer, coupled with an excellent script, this is a prime example of what crime dramas should be about.  Have a good amount of substance and tension, while throwing in some style, and you will have yourselves another classic.

9/10