Movie Review: The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects is a crime thriller that over the years has built a cult following. The Usual Suspects is a classic film I can’t believe I missed along the way, I recently rented the movie and was glad I did.

Verbal Kint, a minor criminal with cerebral palsy, tells his side of the story as he is interrogated by U.S. customs agent Dave Kujan. Kint’s narration follows flashbacks to five suspects who are in a police line-up on suspicion of an armed robbery. This mix of new and hardened criminals walks away free, but not before joining forces that lead to more heists. Hungarian mobster Keyser Soze is a mysterious character woven throughout Kint’s story of his fellow criminals and their crime spree.

The cast of The Usual Suspects is uniformly excellent, making the most of the expertly written screenplay. The characters are fascinating, particularly Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint. The final scenes will have you at the edge of your seat and questioning what just happened on screen. Spacey won an Oscar for best supporting actor, and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie won the Oscar for best screenplay, both Oscars well deserved.

The Usual Suspects is filled with twists and fascinating characters. I cannot recommend this film enough, if you like thrillers and haven’t seen it, rent it and prepare to get swept up in the riveting story. This is a classic film you should own or put on your must see list.

1995. Directed by Bryan Singer, written by Christopher McQuarrie. Starring Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollak, Benicio Del Toro, Stephen Baldwin,Pete Postlethwaite and Giancarlo Esposito.

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