The Usual Suspects (1995)

Directed by: Bryan Singer | 102 minutes | crime, drama, thriller | Actors: Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Pete Postlethwaite, Giancarlo Esposito, Suzy Amis, Dan Hedaya

There is a scene in ‘The Usual Suspects’ that was initially considered a failure by the director. Bryan Singer was annoyed by the actors, who could not concentrate and burst out laughing constantly. In the end, he decided to use the final footage anyway, recognizing that the scene could also be interesting this way. And he was right: it turned out to be one of the most fun and characteristic scenes in the film.

We are of course talking about the famous confrontation scene, where the five “usual suspects” (a reference to ‘Casablanca’ (1942)) stand side by side and the sentence “hand me the keys, you cocksucker!” must speak so that the witness can (perhaps) say who is to blame. The “failure” of this scene has ensured that we as spectators immediately get a good picture of this group of criminals. Their coolness is evident in the looks in the eyes of especially Verbal (Spacey) and Keaton (Byrne). We see their recalcitrant and anarchic attitude in making fun of the police. Furthermore, their spontaneous and collective burst of laughter shows that they have a bond together, if only because of their common enemy. Finally, the scene provides a certain humanization of the suspects. When we see these criminals laughing together, they immediately become a bit more sympathetic and we as viewers are immediately on their side.

This form of identification is quite important for a film like this, where the main characters are criminals and the activities and social environment in the film are far removed from us. In this way, throughout the film, we continue to care about the fate of the characters to a certain extent.

The characters all have their own idiosyncrasies, while on the other hand they all have a high level of “coolness”. With the exception, perhaps, of Fenster (Benicio Del Toro), who is just odd. His character was originally little special and had hardly any personality. Del Toro has put his own spin on it. He has transformed Fenster into an effeminate, unintelligible smartass: a hilarious role. The rest of the actors are also excellently cast. In addition to the breakthrough for Del Toro, this was also the film that made Kevin Spacey famous. His insecure Verbal Kint, who has to go through life with partial paralysis, is completely believable, and connects well with the story for the audience.

Despite the successful characterization of the characters, they are not very developed and they continue to serve the plot. Christopher McQuarrie’s ingenious screenplay, in which you are constantly tossed back and forth in time and between storylines and characters, is the main reason we keep watching, in addition to the hip tone of the film. We want to know how everything works, and who actually is that mysterious Keyser Söze. This villain is portrayed very effectively as a downright devilish person. Like the Devil, he is mostly present in the background, as a constant threat. You may have worked for him, even if you didn’t know it yourself. Keyser Söze is a heartless brute who, according to the myth, shot his own wife and child to show his strong will. The fear he instills in people is well portrayed. His name alone sends chills, and when he actually appears on the scene, all we see is his shadow and the terrified faces of his victims. The final revelation of Söze’s identity is treated in a wonderfully cinematic way, sending shivers down your spine. The statements about his person have by now become classic, with the most famous being: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn’t exist”.

‘The Usual Suspects’ is a film where you have to stay focused, but it is almost inevitable that you will be misled. We accept the story as it unfolds before our eyes and it is only at the end of the film that it becomes clear that we should have questioned as much as possible. In this way, the audience is deliberately played with, so that you as a spectator can feel slightly cheated. Especially since the road to this revelation is the film’s biggest motivation, and so a lot has been invested in this element by the viewer. However, the flair with which everything is presented ensures that the film experience is not much affected. The atmosphere literally drips from the film, with the beautiful music, the film-noir-esque camera work, and the great acting. Basically it’s just a cerebral (and somewhat sterile) crime story with a gimmick, albeit one that is technically superbly executed.

The creation of Keyser Söze as the villain of all villains is surely one of the film’s greatest achievements. Singer has jokingly noted that if he couldn’t find any more villains for his X-Men, he could always call on Söze. “The X-Men versus Keyser Söze”: It could make for an exciting battle.