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The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic movie, excellent special features
Review: "The Usual Suspects" is such a phenomenal story, with a great ensemble cast - what could be better than owning it on DVD? Well I'll tell you - owning the special edition on DVD. The special features on here are probably equal to the length of the movie itself, and offer really great insight into the director, editor, and cast. Extensive interviews with the key players reveal inside information that is fascinating. The gag reel is hysterical, and the bit of Del Torro "getting stuck on words" as Fenster alone is worth the price of the entire disc. The deleted scenes aren't as interesting as I'd hoped - I think the crew did a great job selecting what got left out.

The plot is wonderful, involving a small crew of big- and small-time criminals and con-men who must work together to repay their individual debts to a mysterious man named Keyser Soze. Soze is a legend (some even say a myth,) whom many people believe to be the devil himself. He is ruthless, brutal, powerful and hugely successful. Pete Postlethewaite plays a wonderful attache for Mr. Soze, carrying off a bizarre combination of careful politeness edged by steely resolve. There aren't enough accolades for this whole cast, though - each actor does an incredible job of getting into his character's skin, and each man makes the viewer believe that he feels each and every little tic and itch his character would feel.

The first time I saw this film, I confess that I was had - I honestly didn't know how it would end until The Big Reveal. I suspect it'll keep most people guessing. Even then, after knowing how it ends, watching it over and over again is still enjoyable, simply because of the details and hints to the truth one picks up. Plus, the characters are so engaging, and the chemistry between all of them works so well, it's just a supremely enjoyable ride every time. After having watched it perhaps 10 times, it's still something I pull out now and then.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Essential
Review: To understand and feel the true quality of The Usual Suspects one needs to watch the movie more than once. Each viewing will bring a different perspective. Kevin Spacey takes the role of verbal painting a perfect changing picture. Director Bryan Singer is a great visionary. His ability to translate ideas to film is astounding. I don't understand why he hasn't had more films.

The best part of the Special Edition is Special Features. Before entering the special features section I recommend watching the movie two or three times. Form a good opinion on the plot and the characters. Then endulge for the directors and actors point of view.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My guess is that you'll regret it when you see it again
Review: Do yourself a favor. Do **NOT** start watching this film in the middle of it - you will spoil one of the most entertaining things about it: trying to figure it out. If you enjoy the film, you'll probably want to watch it again, and you'll be irked that you didn't have an opportunity to put all the pieces together yourself before knowing the ending.

So if you come across the middle of an airing of it on cable some night, and you want to catch a few minutes since you've heard so much about it (like I did), don't! It would be better to just switch to another channel and rent the movie (or buy it) at another time, so you can sit down and start from the beginning.

Also, the film is doubly entertaining in that it's like one of those jackets that you can turn inside-out and wear either way. You sit down and watch it and get hit with its raw impact - then you sit down again, and all the scenes have a totally different meaning the second time, which makes it - basically - two movies for the price of one.

If you like noir films and films that are a maze or a puzzle, you should only watch The Usual Suspects straight from the start. Otherwise, you'll be robbing yourself of some good fun ... even though it would only be small-time robbery.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Who is Keyser Soze? There is only one way to find out.
Review: Bryan Singer has solidified this movies place in the crime genre's storied history. The Usual Suspects is an twisting, turning thrill ride into the dark underworld of hardcore criminals. This movies characters are unparalleled. There is Keaton the mastermind of the operation. There is Fenster and Mcmanus who are longtime partners and top notch entry men. There is Todd Hockney who is the explosives expert. The most interesting and prominent character is Verbal Kint. He is the odd man out, he is a cripple so he dosen't really have a place in the crime world.

This story is told through Verbal's eyes as he tells the story of The Usual Suspects. These five men were not supposed to meet. They are an explosive group of hardcore criminals, who if the payoff is right will go into battle. They are the kind of men you would want on your side were you to go into battle. They would even go so far as to march into certain death. Verbal tells this dark yet enthralling story to Dave Kujan. He is investigating Keaton, and wants to find out more about him.

Dave Kujan recruits Verbal to talk to him about his experiences with Keaton and the story of this mans experiences draw the viewer closer and closer to the movies central question and ultimately it's unsolved mystery.

WHO IS KEYSER SOZE?????

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I am Keyser Soze
Review: An absolutely wonderful movie. A top-notch cast, well written script, and wonderful directing give this movie a life of it's own. Bryan Singer's opus.

Transfers: Perfect in every which way. No artifacts in the visuals. The audio is wonderful. Be sure to crank it up when the 5.1 is busted out.

Extras: The only DVD out there that beats this one on extras is the Episode 1 DVD. The deleted scenes are absolutley wonderful, and one wonders why they were deleted. The featurettes are a bit obscure, but still a lot of fun to watch. The "Keyser Soze - Lie or Legend" is great. The Gag Reel is fun, as all are mostly. Listening to Singer's commentary is absolutley fun. But the best part of this DVD is the Easter Eggs. Trying to catch them all is hard, but lotsa fun.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Surprise? C'mon.
Review: A very good movie, but if you've heard that there's a surprise ending (which most of these reviews point out) you'd have to be an idiot to not know what it is 1/4 of the way through the movie. So don't watch it for a "Sixth Sense" caliber twist, watch this movie for the story telling.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best film of the 90's
Review: The problem with trying to make a good film is that there's so much that can go wrong. No-one starts out to make a bad movie, but keeping control of every aspect of the process would test anyone's strength.

Not only do you have to cope with egotistical actors demanding that the part be played their way, and pretentious cinematographers insisting that the entire film be shot looking at the characters' feet, but you also have to juggle callous studio execs whose only intention is to drain the film of all its creativity so as to make it "accessible to a wider audience",... This is why 1995's The Usual Suspects is such an achievement. Everything about it reeks of quality.

Director Bryan Singer had only made one film before The Usual Suspects, 1994's Public Access. Despite only being a mini-budget piece restricted to art house cinemas, it managed to garner the attention of Kevin Spacey, then an accomplished stage actor looking for a break into mainstream cinema. Spacey approached the twenty-six year old and offered his talents, only to find that Singer had already written a part specifically with him in mind. The character was Verbal Kint, enigmatic narrator of The Usual Suspects. There followed a casting executive's dream roll call - Gabriel Byrne, William Baldwin, Chazz Palminteri, Benicio Del Toro and Kevin Pollak signed on in short order, making arguably the best ensemble cast since Glengarry Glen Ross (in which Spacey also starred). Special mention needs to be given to Benicio Del Toro, whose hilariously erratic character Fenster steals every scene he's in.

Singer's long-time writing partner Christopher McQuarrie took a simple premise - five hardened cons meet in a New York lineup - and turned it into a stylish crime thriller of labyrinthine complexity with an ending that would become one of the most startling in cinema history, causing the viewer to reassess their opinion of the entire film in a way that would be emulated in later years by The Sixth Sense and Fight Club.

The Usual Suspects was shot in thirty days on a budget of five million dollars, which was a pittance when you consider that most romantic comedies cost at least twenty. Yet here was a film that did not shy from spectacle, with intense gun battles intercutting incredibly dense dialogue, edited together to look like a blockbuster of ten times its budget. The music, too, deserves special mention, with sweeping orchestral movements giving way to Cuban rhythms and delicate piano, echoing the depth and complexities of the story itself.

The film plays out like - and essentially is - a story told by a craftsman. In a nice twist, it begins with the death of the supposed central character (Gabriel Byrne in a wonderfully mysterious portrayal of an ex-con lured back into the game) and the rest of the film takes place almost entirely after the events it depicts. Spacey's character sits in a police office and recounts the story of five criminals thrown together in a lineup, deciding to go into business for themselves, only to learn that their fate is being guided by the hand of a terrifying arch-criminal, Keyser Soze. To reveal more of the plot is to spoil the film; suffice to say, one viewing will not be enough.

The Usual Suspects is that rare thing: A film in which no aspect is found wanting. Most movies involve the odd cringeworthy moment; a chunk of cheesy dialogue, a bad performance here or there, an unsatisfying ending - but Suspects oozes quality in a way that the majority of modern films are not allowed to do, whether because of production companies clouding the auteur's vision, arsehole actors throwing their weight around, or simply bad luck and lack of funds. Perversely, Suspects' low budget could be the main reason for its success, since the filmmakers were given far more free rein to pursue their goals without studio executives breathing down their necks. And it shows. The Usual Suspects went on to garner two Oscars (Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor for Kevin Spacey) and assembled a following of committed devotees.

Watch it, be confused, watch it again and love it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Number #3 Crime Movie
Review: Who is Keyser Soze? The one most suspenseful question in this film. This is probably one of the best films ever with an ending that will leave you breathless. The story is about five criminals , Hockney (Kevin Pollack) , McManus (Stephen Baldwin) , Fenster (Benico Del Toro) , Dean Keaton (Gabriel Bryne) , and Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) , who are arrested. In prison overnight they decide to commit a crime that will cost most of them their lives. Also starring: Chazz Palminterri , Suzy Amis , Giancarlo Esposito and Dan Hedeya.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Usual Suspect
Review: Great suspense, great mystery; is the glass half empty or half full, perhaps there may be no glass at all. Quite shocking its effect, that it offers originality to its genre.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Clever and brilliantly made
Review: The surprise ending wasn't as surprising as it might have been, but the film is so well written, well plotted, and well put together that it really doesn't matter. Many of the twists along the way were surprising. All in all it's a great movie with some fabulous performances. Although I found Benicio del Toro somewhat annoying as Fenster, the rest were all standouts, especially Kevin Spacey as the crippled and boring Verbal, Gabriel Byrne as the trying to reform Keaton, Chazz Palmintieri as a smart and sympathetic cop, and the underrated Pete Postlethwaite, doing a great accent.


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