THE USUAL SUSPECTS
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1995 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule: With a whimsical title, THE USUAL
SUSPECTS looks superficially to be a piece of light
entertainment. In fact, it is a crackling crime
drama that tests the logical abilities of its
audience rather than simply entertaining them.
Somebody invested heavily in the actors, and the
photography, but the writing is the real
attraction. Rating: +2 (-4 to +4)
When most films end people get up, go to their cars, and drive away. Then there are some films that get a significant part of the audience standing around and discussing--maybe even puzzling over--what they have seen. There are a lot of decent films in the first category, but there are almost no bad films in the second. A new film to discuss and puzzle over is THE USUAL SUSPECTS. This is a complicated crime story, occasionally violent, but one that builds compellingly to one climax, then suddenly turns into a complex set of logic puzzles that must be solved to understand what actually happened in the story. This is not like RASHOMON which throws up its hands and says truth is unknowable because everybody sees things differently. Instead, it is closer to Raymond Smullyan's logic problems where we know only that certain things are true if other things are false. One feels all the information is there to figure out the truth, if only one can work the puzzle. But a complete understanding of the plot may not be possible without multiple viewings. But worry not, you don't have to solve the puzzles completely to enjoy the film.
The film begins with a cryptic but beautifully filmed crime scene. A man is apparently shot; a fire is set. But what exactly have we seen? The police (played by Chazz Palminteri and Dan Hedaya) pick up the aptly-named Verbal (Kevin Spacey) and he begins his tale of the six weeks that led to the crime. In flashback, when a police operation fails, the police bring to a line-up five suspects, and based on this chance introduction the five decide to combine their various talents on a job. Along with Spacey, the five are played by Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollak, Stephen Baldwin, and Benicio Del Toro. From there the plot of the film doubles and redoubles in complexity. And casting his shadow over the whole plot is a mysterious international criminal, Kaiser Soza, who may be real or may be a total myth.
The film was co-produced and directed by Bryan Singer, whose only previous film is the relatively unknown PUBLIC ACCESS. Here he directs a clever screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie. Singer and McQuarrie manage nicely to characterize each of the criminals with just a few moments in the line-up and in the subsequent police examination. But even with the characterization, they keep the story moving forward ata headlong pace, forcing the audience to work to keep up.
Curiously, for a film as small and somewhat experimental as this, the producers have chosen to go for a cast with a surprising number of familiar actors. We are generally used to seeing at most one or two recognizable actors in independent films and, indeed, those films are often the route actors use these days to become more familiar. The producers have chosen to go with a cast of familiar and established character actors, even in some roles that really do not require it. Concieveably with the film's main attraction being its writing, the budget elsewhere was low enough that the producers could afford to go with an established cast. It is not clear it pays off for them, however. Putting an actor like Paul Bartel in a tiny and undemanding role may be more of a distraction than a casting necessity. Still, a veteran cast does deliver the goods for Singer.
This is a film that looks good, and has good actors, but the writing is really the film's strongest point. This is a film that demands some thought and perhaps even multiple viewings to understand fully and it gets a +2 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
mark.leeper@att.com
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