THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995)
Film Review by Michael Chen
Rating: **** (out of ****) Rating: 9.5 (out of 10) Director: Bryan Singer Starring: Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Pete Postlethwaite, Kevin Spacey Screenplay by: Christopher McQuarrie Duration: 105 minutes
If plagiarism were a crime in film techniques, director Bryan Singer would be imprisoned for life. Screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie would be serving a similar sentence. However, since it is not, Singer and MacQuarrie (who have joined forces again after the not-so-successful PUBLIC ACCESS) took advantage and duplicated nothing but the best. From CASABLANCA to PULP FICTION, and even a version of a line (intentionally or otherwise) from BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID.
The opening credits run while we see water, discernable by the reflection of streetlights, quietly flowing in the background. It is dark, and a chilling melody creeps. When the formalities conclude, we are aboard a ship. It is ‘last night'. We meet a couple of people who have a brief conversation. Soon after, the ship explodes, and we the audience have absolutely no idea what's going on, but are dying to know more.
The principal story starts ‘6 weeks ago', and revolves around five hardened criminals, who seem unable to escape from the law – even if they haven't done anything. The five are round up on suspicion of hijacking a truck carrying gun parts. When they are inevitably released they team up to plan and execute crimes – including revenge. But they soon sense that someone is controlling them – someone with power – knowing their every move. In amongst all this is a cop, at ‘present day', who is obsessed with pinning down one of those five usual suspects – an ex-cop.
There should not be more revealed about the plot, as this is a story that has a twist-in-the-end. However, even if you can anticipate the surprise, there are copious amounts of clever directing (especially the final sequence) from fresh-face Bryan Singer with interesting camera angles that upholds the film. Even though Singer borrows heavily from prominent directors, he adds ingenious touches of his own for greater effect. Along with the adroit directing there is nail-biting suspense, slow-motion action, and superb acting. Not one actor is out of place. All five criminals are distinct, have different fields of expertise, and all are characterised brilliantly. The mania of McManus (Baldwin), the calm authority of Keaton (Byrne), the insouciance of Hockney (Pollak), the shadowy cowardice of Kint (Spacey), and the unfathomable speech of Fenster (Benicio Del Toro). Then there's the assertiveness of Special Agent Kujan (Palminteri), and the unquestioning loyalty of Kobayashi (Postlethwaite) to his master, and other absorbing characters portrayed by Suzi Amis, Giancarlo Esposito, and Dan Hedaya. Kevin Spacey is the prize in this colossal pack, and was honoured with an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. McQuarrie also picked up an Oscar for his captivating original screenplay.
John Ottman was responsible for the expert editing. Believe it or not he also composed the enthralling original score. From the first note of ‘Main Theme' to the last note of ‘The Greatest Trick' the music offers substantial support for the film's atmosphere. Ottman was also the editor and composer of PUBLIC ACCESS.
Many people oppose watching a film with a twist a second time. I disagree. By watching it again you can observe how the director and the screenwriter have hidden and revealed clues, how they have tried to steer the audience away from the ending. First time is for entertainment. Second time is for art. This film is certainly worthwhile to see again. To date, I have watched it five times. (Two of those five times I thought, ‘well, I'll just watch about half-an-hour,' but ended up watching the entire film because it is so entertaining.) I'm not exactly a noir fan, so it is assured that this particular crime film appeals to a wider audience.
One minor thing I would like to point out is that the hospitalised Hungarian's speech should have been subtitled because it is of some importance.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS has a skilled director, an engrossing screenplay, and ten praiseworthy performances. The film runs a fast 105 minutes. Don't miss a minute of it.
****: Classic ***˝: Highly recommended; Excellent ***: Recommended **˝: Okay; Passable **: Time-Killer *˝: Ill-advised cure for boredom *: Keep an alarm clock beside you, also usually suitable to end a relationship ˝: Try to restrain yourself from inflicting pain to anything nearby, including yourself and the screen, on realisation of how much time and money you have wasted Zero: No comment
Welcome any questions, comments, and criticisms to microchip81@hotmail.com.
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews