Review: The Usual Suspects (1995) · 9:33pm Jun 21st, 2016
Yo, remember when Bryan Singer made good movies, and not just increasingly crappy sequels to subpar superhero movies?
Well, he did, and 1995's The Usual Suspects is firmly the best film of his I've seen. A masterful troperific neo-noir from the writing mind of Christopher McQurrie (who won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay), and directed with true spark and pinache by Bryan Singer, The Usual Suspects is a film that, even 21 years later, and with its ending spoiler firmly etched into the very fabric of the pop culture, still manages to take us on a wild, entertaining and intriguing ride, and one that keeps you guessing even if you already know the big twist (which, no worries, I will not spoil. I'm sure that there are some people out there who still may not know the twist, so why spoil it for them?)
Singer's direction is the most alive and inventive I've ever seen from him. Gone are the stale, lumbering and awkward crawls of such mediocre films as X-Men; X2; Valkyrie; Superman Returns or X-Men: Days of Future Past. Instead, The Usual Suspects feels alive and revving on full throttle. From the use of elaborate camera movements to slow motion, to John Ottman's rapidfire yet precise editing, Singer makes the film feel electric and inventive, but while allowing McQurrie's verbose, complex screenplay ample room to breathe and express itself, without being stilfed. Its an excellent blend of style and substance, one that has obviously spawned a wave of imitators, but nome habe equaled.
The performances from the cast also help keep the film alive. From Gabriel Bryne's conflicted dirty cop, to Stephen Baldwin's foul mouthed and belligerent conman whose best buds with Benicio del Toro's muttering, flamboyant thug, or Kevin Pollak's cynical bomb expert, everybody's chemistry is top notch, and the way they bounce off each other and interact is organic and fluid. Chazz Palminteri's performance as arrogant and confrontational NYPD cop who grills Kevin Spacey is also exceptional, creating the spot on balance of bluff and genuine toughness.
Of course, it goes without saying that the incomparable Kevin Spacey steals the show as the deceptively meak, smooth talking Cerebral Palsy afflicted Roger "Verbal" Kint, who serves as our twitchy narrator for the film. Obviously, its incredibly difficult to explain how awesome his performance is without spoiling the movie, but suffice to say, Spacey's performance is a crowning example of playing the mask, and doing so with absolute perfection. A bonus shout out goes to the late, great Pete Postlethwaite as the creepy lawyer for the mysterious criminal mastermind Keyser Söze, with Postlethwaite filling his scenes with that subtle brand of menace that he was always able to create so perfectly.
Newton Thomas Sigel's cinematography is pitch perfect, and coupled with John Ottman's stylish and expansive musicial score, helps further set the stylish neo-noir tone of the film beautifully.
So, as it stands, The Usual Suspects remains a crowning jewel of the neo-noir genre, and an undoubtly influential film, and a tour de force that Singer has never able to even come close to replicating.
Talk about a One Hit Wonder, but what a hit it was.
5 out of 5 stars.
I am one of those people, so thank you.