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Summary: Terrible DVD Menu
Review: Warning to DVD viewers who have not seen this movie: Do not play the menu screen before watching the movie. The menu shows movie clips in the background, some of which are from near the end of the movie. I don't know who the morons were who created this DVD, but someone should tell them that that the movie is esentially a MYSTERY, and they should probably refrain from showing people the ending before they watch it. This is a great movie, it is a shame that the DVD producers put such little thought into making this DVD.
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Summary: My favorite movie of the 1990s.
Review: THE USUAL SUSPECTS is my favorite movie of the 1990s. I remember seeing it in the theater opening weekend. The first time that I saw its surprise ending, I felt as if I had been kicked very hard in my stomach. It was amazing, and I ended up seeing the movie in the theater seven times.When the movie came out on VHS in 1996, I bought it immediately. When I bought a DVD player in the beginning of 1999, it was the first DVD that I bought. I have seen the movie a total of about 40 times. Christopher McQuarrie's Oscar winning script is brilliant. Every line counts. There are so many details packed into the movie that it requires multiple viewings, perhaps even as many as a dozen, to be fully appreciated. And even after that it still gets better with each viewing. Bryan Singer's directing is based on a love of movie making and a very strong, deep respect for the intelligence of the audience. All of the acting perforances, from the major players like Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, down to minor roles such as Suzy Amis's, are all done to perfection. Newton Thomas Segal's camera direction helps to give a classy, 1940s feel to the movie which makes it all that much more interesting. John Ottman's musical score and editing are the final seal in making this movie absolutely perfect. A definite must see.
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Summary: Great twist at the end.
Review: I like to see certain things in movies, and "The Usual Suspects" has them in abundance- great acting, a great plot and an extra something special that sets this film apart from the others. Easily, this movie could have become a lame copy of "Reservoir Dogs", but instead we are treated to some stunning performances on the part of Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollock, Stephen Baldwin, Chazz Palminteri, and- especially -Kevin Spacey. Better still, the screenwriters were kind enough to give us a clever plot which whipsaws us between different versions of what might have happened, always making the viewer question what actually happened. The ending is never spelled out, and the screenwriters have enough confidence in their audience to challange us to figure out what-is-what.
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Summary: A wonderful film from beginning to end!
Review: This is one of the best films it has been my priveledge to see, and one of the few I cannot stop thinking about. Some people object to the ending, or say that once you figure it out it makes it boring or predicatable. Wrong! I figured out the identity of Soze early on, but I have to say when the ending came on, my jaw dropped on the floor nevertheless. There's something there that will surprise you no matter what. The best things about it are the uniformly excellent cast, led by the ever-incredible Kevin Spacey as a crippled crook Verbal, and the wonderful Gabriel Byrne as the intelligent, crooked ex-cop Keaton, who is trying to go straight. And kudos to Pete Postlewaite as Soze's lawyer. Menace and good manners were never so brilliantly combined. The witty, startling script is full of memorable one-liners, and incredible twists. Don't take my word for it, watch it for yourselves.
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Summary: Kevin Spacey is the Man
Review: I admit when I first heard about this movie, I had no desire to see it. But then my buddy sat me down and made me watch it from beginning to end. I watched it once, and I have loved it from that day to this. The cast is incredible, the story is twisted and interesting, and to top it all off, it's very, very funny. I didn't really think much of Kevin Spacey before this movie, but after this one performance, I was hooked. His ability to physically and emotionally transform himself completely into Verbal Kint really blew me away. I have been a major Spacey fan ever since. If anyone has yet to see this, I pity you. It is really one of the best kept secrets in the video world.
Rating: 
Summary: What's the Fuss?
Review: Part of the 'cult' appeal of this film, I'm fairly sure, lies in its trick ending. This is all very well, but it's not a trick ending in the sense that it provides any clue to preceding events. This reduces it to nonsense. The Usual Suspects is well acted, though shoddily filmed, clearly low-budget and cringingly self conscious. The premise itself - five criminals rounded up by a character who may or may not be Kaiser Szoze to commit a crime that we are never sure was actually committed - is the stuff of graduate film school. It's clever, but finally not clever enough. If you're going to take the best part of two hours to play an elaborate hoax, make sure the hoax is worth waiting for. This isn't. Don't give youself a headache trying to figure out what the ending really means. It doesn't mean anything at all. This, apparently, is Bryan Singer's 'trick' on his audience. Let's hope that Bryan is quite finished.
Rating:
Summary: What's the Fuss?
Review: Part of the 'cult' appeal of this film, I'm fairly sure, lies in its trick ending. This is all very well, but it's not a trick ending in the sense that it provides any clue to preceding events. For all the central characters to have spontaneously exploded would have been as relevant, certainly more entertaining to watch. The Usual Suspects is well acted, though shoddily filmed, clearly low-budget and cringingly self conscious. The premise itself - five criminals rounded up by a character who may or may not be Kaiser Szoze to commit a crime that may or may not have been committed - is the stuff of graduate film school. It's clever, but finally not clever enough. If you're going to take the best part of two hours to play an elaborate hoax, make sure the hoax is worth waiting for. This isn't. And as for the 'the trick is that there is no trick' school of thought; Sorry, that doesn't cut it either. Something either works or it doesn't.
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Summary: A modern classic
Review: Isn't it strange that almost every time a funny, entertaining, intelligent film like this one comes out, it does poorly at the box office only to later achieve its deserved classic status when it's released on home video? Kevin Spacey gives one of the best of his always cool, always creepy performances; personally, I think he should have been nominated for best actor since everybody else seems to be supporting his contribution to the film. If this movie has one flaw, it's that the main bulk of the story is too complicated to understand upon a first viewing--you probably won't understand much of what goes on until the second or third time you see it, after you already know the movie's big secret. And about the movie's surprise ending, the people who claim that The Usual Suspects dies once you know its tricks are completely incorrect. Think about Psycho or Citizen Kane or The Empire Strikes Back, movies that all end with mind-warping twists like this one; they're actually more entertaining when you watch them again because you get to see how the filmmakers build up to the big conclusion, and because you get to trace all the little clues that make the final revelation seem painfully obvious now that you already know what it is. A great movie for those of you who liked Pulp Fiction (the guy who played Zed even has a role!), and one of my favorites.
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Summary: Usual Suspects to Usual Stars
Review: Believe it or not, Usual Suspects was actually somewhat of a sleeper when it first came out in 1995...but no longer. Suspects combines a great cast, an intricate story (don't find too many of those these days), and outstanding directing. What was likely the breakout role for Kevin Spacey is quickly becoming a cult film noir worthy of quality DVD collections and has even reached the level of being consistently quoted by fraternity boys... "Give me the keys ..." Joining Spacey is Stephen Baldwin (one of those Baldwins) which turns in a solid performance as a slightly nuts, yet cool under pressure, McManus (also check him out in Threesome); Chazz Palminteri (Analyze This, Bullets over Broadway) plays a tough acting fed who gets played like violin; Benicio Del Toro who does a great job with smooth Fenster. I'll stop here, but the whole cast is great. The beauty of this movie is how the story develops and leads your little brain into believing the events, names and characters that populate it. And when the puzzle finally seems to come together and you think you are so cool for having "known it all along" and satisfied to have watched a great movie, director Bryan Singer and writer Chris McQuarrie tear the puzzle apart like your mean older brother would do only to leave you with a thousand pieces that could come together in a completely other way. Watch Suspects over and over again and discover the subtleties and clues that are sprinkled around the film. You'll be continually amazed and entertained.
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Summary: BEST ENDING EVER
Review: THIS MOVIE ROCKS MAN. IT IS FULL OF ACTION AND HAS SO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS YOU MIGHT WANT TO BUCKLE UP BEFORE WATCHING. IF YOU LIKE ACTION, SUSPENCE, AND A GOOD THRILL RIDE THIS MOVIE IS FOR YOU. YOU WILL WANT TO GO BACK AND WATCH IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!
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