Rating: Summary: The ending does not ruin the movie. Review: A very cleaver film by Bryan Singer on five men who are put in front of a police lineup in a murder investigation. How they got this way is only half the fun of the movie, the ending (which I won't reveal) does not ruin the movie. In fact it's makes a kind of logical sense.
Rating: Summary: If you don't get it you won't get it Review: This is a movie made for intelligent people. It plays with our perceptions and establishes a mind duel with the audience: will you be able to decipher its plot? Can you guess who Kayser Souze is? Get ready for top notch performances by the whole cast, especially Kevin Spacey and fellow Puerto Rican Benicio del Toro.
Rating: Summary: Horrible Digitization of a Great Motion Picture Review: The fact of the matter is that Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie's USUAL SUSPECTS is one of the best films to come out of the studio system in the last ten years. However, all of their marvelous work is for naught when MGM releases this horrible example of MPEG recording technology. No attention was paid to the cleanliness of the image, thereby creating a picture that looks like I downloaded it off the internet. Newton Thomas Sigel's contrasty neo-noir cinematography is jumbled with ghosts of character's shirts, velour blinds and other mistakes of modern technology. While DVD normally would provide the average cinephile everything they could possibly want, this sad example of the future is annoying and ultimately makes one pine for seeing it projected in a ratty neighborhood theatre. Do yourself a favor - find a widescreen VHS version.
Rating: Summary: Loved It! Review: This is an incredible flick!! The suspense, the acting, and the directing make this a MUST OWN. Besides, Kevin Spacey is a total babe!!
Rating: Summary: UNusual Review: How can a movie with no DEFINITIVE answers and no real sense of closure be successful? This one IS. The whole idea of a movie is telling a story and then deciding if you felt it to be real or not. This entire movie is JUST THAT: an elaborate story that we, as the viewers, must decide upon. Is it real? Or is it all just a story? And if it is only a sotry, then what is real? A rag-tag collection of unglamorous actors (Baldwin, Pollack, Del Toro, Byrne, and Spacey) absolutely shine in this piece. Some have called the story and the writing convoluted. But these actors play with words and phrases and nuances like children play with building blocks. Story telling should always be this good.
Rating: Summary: One of Kevin Spacey's Finest Review: This is the movie that first brought the Great acting of Kevin Spacey to my Attention. This movie is a good "Thinker" movie that keeps you guessing. Kevin is great in this movie, and I have to say this is a must see.
Rating: Summary: The Man With a Plan, Plans to Watch This Review: When this film first came out great things were very quickly said about it. Sometimes you get a film which people say is great because it has a wonderful car chase or there is a nice big explosion or the main character gets to say some wonderful one-liners. This film was being praised because it had a good story.This caught my attention so I went to see it and have watched it many times since. Not because I didn't get it, quite the opposite in fact. I understood the film but I just loved the experience of watching a brilliant story unfold so mcuh that I wanted that experience again and again. Can there be anyone out there who hasn't heard about this excellent film? How can I convince you to rent this, to buy it or just to plain sit down and watct it? Simple - if you like to watch a good film that is far more than car chases, explosions and witty one-liners then this is it. From the intriguing opening scene as we watch a ship go up in flames, the film slowly unfolds a story of how weeks before five men were brought together for a police line-up. Not just any five men, but five criminals who should not have been brought together at all. Plotting revenge against the NYPD for this harrasment is only the beginning and slowly but surely we begin to hear about this underworld myth - Keyser Soze. A powerful underworld lord who may or may not exist. Could it because of him that these five men were brought together? If so, what does he want from them and will they be willing to help him achieve that goal? Watch it and find out, I just hope that the arms of your chair are strong enough because you will be gripping them! The DVD is generally quite good, there is minor digital noise at the start but it is not distracting. The film is not enhanced so you will either have to enlarge your screen or put up with it in 2.23:1. The only extra is a commentary track which gives a nice insight into the making of the film.
Rating: Summary: Before you...do me in, Mr. McManus...watch this movie. Review: Keyser Soze. The perfect criminal. The one who can never be caught, who never will be caught. Right there, under your nose. Don't bother renting this. Buy it immediately.
Rating: Summary: DEFINITELY NOT......YOUR "USUAL" MOVIE Review: "The Usual Suspects" certainly defies pigeon holing or labeling. Its larger-than-life allure results from a seamless blending of elements: Pschodrama, Action, Suspense and Mystery, all built on intricate storytelling, a dynamic screenplay and taught direction, by Bryan Singer. The aforementioned are all bolstered by credible in-depth character development, brought to life by an outstanding cast, who flesh out each role to chilling near perfection. (Kevin Spacey, seen here before most people would have recognized his name, received an Oscar for his "supporting" role!) But let's not get sidetracked. More than anything else,"SUSPECTS" is about the unparalleled unsettling reaction you get from viewing it! From the first scene to the end credits, it gets a headlock on your psyche, while sending the pit of your stomach into endless free fall! The only way to illustrate this, without giving away any key elements of the film, is a detailed look at the opening scene....a peerless example of instant timeless classic film noir. On a boat, docked in San Pedro Harbor, the dying sole-survivor of an apparently devastating bloodbath shootout painfully ignites a thin trail of gasoline. His obvious intention: Destroy EVERYTHING...himself included! From a deck higher up, an unseen someone pisses out the trail of flames. The shadowy figure walks down the stairs with an unhurried beliberation and saunters over to the agonizing man he has just saved. They exchange somewhat forced greetings and a few disjointed words of banter. Without warning, the intruder firmly raises a pistol, his unblinking gaze reflected in eyes locked in contact with his own. Unhesitatingly, he fires two consecutive shots. A brief pause of contemplation ends when he casually lights a cigarette, stategically dropping his lighter to rekindle the liquid fuse, and then beats a hasty off-board retreat. What better way to introduce a character whose twisted iron resolve is so perverse, so deranged, that he saves a doomed man seconds before certain death, solely for the unmititgated pleasure derived from looking him squarely in the eye, his victim looking right back, while pulling the trigger himself. Without uttering a syllable, his actions shout out,"I piss on you and your puny existence!" His victim's final moments are thusly converted into a living/dying testimony, clearly demonstrating who it is that decides the particulars of when and how he will die! "SUSPECTS" has been severely critiqued by a vocal minority (to paraphrase another Amazon reviewer) for not knowing the difference between a plot twist and a non sequitur. With all due respect to the reviewer, who painstakingly highlighted the difference for us, perhaps a careful second viewing would shed some light on the source of this common confusion. After watching "SUSPECTS" four times making every effort to employ my most discerning eye, I am convinced the true genius of the movie hinges on this particular point! Let me underscore my unequivocal recommendation of this film with a special note to those of you who avoid the Action or Suspense genre becuase of your distaste of the excessive violence that generally characterizes them. Well, THIS IS NO JOHN WOO FILM! A lot of the scenes are done in the "Old School" style, where the violence is kept off-screen. Although there is considerable TALK in "SUSPECTS" about some of the most dastardly deeds imaginable, virtually none of this is graphically portrayed. So, PLEASE, if you have not seen it yet, because of this reason, I urge you to make an exception in this case...GET IT AND SEE IT!
Rating: Summary: Out Tarantinos Tarantino Review: no lengthy review needed for this one...the script is excellent, proving that there are other screenwriters who know how criminals sound. But the only reason to see this movie is kevin spacey. Who would've ever guessed he was keyser soze? this film has the greatest line i've ever heard in a move " the greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world that he didn't exist..." this is a film to own....
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