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The Usual Suspects (Special Edition)

The Usual Suspects (Special Edition)

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $14.99
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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Been there, done that, believe it or not.
Review: So far in all of the reviews, nobody has mentioned that the basic idea is obviously inspired by Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy-- it contains a mysterious character that no one has actually seen, but turns out you knew who it was all along. Like when a band covers a song, everybody thinks they wrote it. But I shouldn't be too hard on it, all good ideas come from somewhere, the author of this screenplay, Christopher MacQuarrie, just got to it first is all. In this case, in order for a complex idea to appeal to a mass audience, they had to dummy it down into a crime picture full of empty hoodlums. Gabriel Byrne would have been a believable Keiser Soze simply because he was the only interesting character, the natural leader of the group; for that he made the least likely Soze. I should have figured out the ending sooner, I just didn't expect that this wonderful idea would be wasted on this shallow, unnecessarily violent film. I don't cringe at movie violence, but when it's done "well", like in Goodfellas or Pulp Fiction, I do get a little shiver down my spine, thankful that I'm only watching it and not in the room with these people. This film has none of the tension, just one bloody scene after another. People who are amazed at the ending probably don't realize that it's been done before. Years after reading Foundation, I still feel a sense of wonder at its twists and clever manipulation. After watching the Usual Suspects, I threw my hands in the air and went to bed, knowing it's going to spoil it for anything that tries to use this idea later, disappointed that people might think this film is a one-of-a-kind original. Just had to clear the air.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: pretty interesting...
Review: i thought it was an interesting movie, but i knew from the start what kind of twist the ending would provide. it may be just because of kevin spacey's oscar, i figured he was not who he was. but the movie was well done and well acted.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best, most inspired move I've ever seen
Review: This is one of a few select movies I've ever seen that made me want to see it again immediately after I saw it for the first time (Fight Club, Sixth Sense, Kundun, Goodfellas, Bladerunner being others...). The whole movie drew me in with the masterful acting by Byrne, Del Toro, and (sorry American Beauty fans) the performance of Spacey's career that won him his first oscar. The movie enticed me to figure out its intracacies, to try to make my own assumptions about the convoluted story, and make my decision on who the infamous Keyser soze was.

It continued along, foggy enough to keep me guessing, but intriguing enough to be brilliant. And then, THE ENDING. The end of this movie (I wouldn't dare give it away) is the single finest cinematic moment ever. Period. I don't care about Rosebud or "Here's lookin' at you kid" or any one of the many scenes in The Godfather. The end of the Usual Suspects is AMAZING. I missed it in the theatre so I had to watch it at home. I was alone and I literally stood up out of my seat and said, WOW! If you have not seen this scene you are cheating yourself.

I have seen this movie too many times to count. Each time engenders a new appreciation for Brian Singer's masterful directing and the accross the board good acting. A must see. One of the two best movies of the Nineties (along with Schindler's List)

as always


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Usual Suspects
Review: The second-best crime film ever made, a completely original idea and fabulous dircting makes The Usual Suspects what it is. The characters include five criminals, Dean Keton, a retired criminal who now is romantically involved with a criminal lawyer, and they have gone into the restaurant business together. keton is played by Gabriel Byrne, who is well-cast, but not as well-cast as he is in End of Days, where he plays the devil. Stephen Baldwin plays McManus, a loud, crazy, but effective entry man. He plays this sort of role to a T, but he has been type-cast for his career thanks to his role. Kevin Pollak plays Todd Hockney, the explosives expert, who doesn't care about anyone. Pollak is great at this kind of role, and he has some great lines. Benicio del Toro, in his breakthrough role, is hilarious as a wisecracking criminal with a speech impediment. The speech impediment, where he mumbles constantly, makes him hard to understand, but it's very, very funny. And finally, to round out the criminals, Verbal Kint, a cripple, played by the not yet so famous Kevin Spacey. Kevin Spacey is awesome in this movie. This is his best acting job ever. He won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his work, and it is well deserved. The opening lineup scene is a classic, and is possibly the greatest opener ever, second only to the Diner Scene, from Reservoir Dogs. The story is told by Kevin Spacey, who is the sole survivor of a mass slaughter in the San Pedro harbor, involving a ship. The five men were sent to destroy coke on a boat by the mysteriously shifty Keyzer Soze, who has never been seen by anyone, that has lived to tell the tale. Spacey is telling his account to U.S. Customs Agent David Cuyan, who has a personal vendetta against Keton. The movie jumps around a little, but by the second viewing it is easy to follow. The chilling climax will leave you speechless, and will put your head in a whirl. Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Reality staring you in the face
Review: People say this film doesn't make sense. It makes perfect sense. Look at the world around you. Yeah, your world. Then look again. Wake up and smell the coffee cup!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Who is Keyser Söze?
Review: Kevin Spacey received a well deserved oscar for his performance. The plot was intriguing and kept me hooked till the last minute.

For all those who heard the ending, it is still worth viewing the movie simply for the brilliant manner in which the plot unfolds.

Is it possible? Would you be fooled? I was.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: best damn film I have seen for ages
Review: Typical of all really good films, it has a twist in the tail that a great white shark would be proud of. Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne are two of the best character actors in the business and Usual Suspects is some of their best work. Those films which leave you with the hairs on the back of your neck tingling when you leave the theatre are few and far between, and this is definetly one of them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I liked it
Review: My daughter told me about this movie after it was homaged in "Scary Movie." She brought home the VHS for us to watch. I was amazed. You have got to admire a screenplay and direction so intricate and manipulative, and yet iron-clad in its finality. I cannot find a flaw in the plot or the presentation. I was extremely entertained, so what more can I say?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finest film I have seen
Review: I am not sure that a 1,000 words is enough for me to make my feelings felt about this movie. Until this movie, none of the stars of this movie were household names here, but now they feel like part of the family.

Brian Singer has constructed a masterpiece, in which the punchline resides where it should, in the last shot! This movie keeps you guessing, and I am finding it very hard to review without letting some of the better shocks slip!

Baldwin, Spacey and Byrne play career roles in this movie, for which they will all be remembered. The filming locations are very good, the musical score superb and the story, although slow burn, moves along at a perfect pace. The use of flashback, which is a very hard tool to work with, is used to perfection, with the viewer becoming so engulfed in each scene, it is a genuine surprise when you are back with the key characters.

I implore anyone reading this review who hasn't seen this movie, to beg, borrow or buy copy of this from Amazon, and please please please, do not listen to anyone who would spoil the ending. One thing is sure, when you watch this movie, you will go to bed asking "Who is Keyser Soze?" To which the answer is.......

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What a Pleasant Surprise!
Review: O.k., I admit, I came to this movie late. Never saw it in the theaters, on cable, or even rented it until I bought the DVD. What a huge mistake! This is the sort of movie that holds up to repeated viewings. A great script, great performances (especially by the wonderful Kevin Spacey), entertaining, spooky at times, and thought-provoking. The Usual Suspects would make my list of the top ten films of the 1990's.


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