Ever since this convoluted thriller dazzled audiences and critics in 1995 and won an Oscar for Christopher McQuarrie's twisting screenplay, The Usual Suspects has continued to divide movie lovers into opposite camps. While a lot of people take great pleasure from the movie's now-famous central mystery (namely, "Who is Keyser Söze?"), others aren't so easily impressed by a movie that's too enamored of its own cleverness to make much sense. After all, what are we to make of a final scene that renders the entire movie obsolete? Half the fun of The Usual Suspects is the debate it provokes and the sheer pleasure of watching its dynamic cast in action, led (or should we say, misled) by Oscar winner Kevin Spacey as the club-footed con man who recounts the saga of enigmatic Hungarian mobster Keyser Söze. Spacey's in a band of thieves that includes Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollak, and Benicio Del Toro, all gathered in a plot to steal a large shipment of cocaine. The story is told in flashback as a twisted plot being described by Spacey's character to an investigating detective (Chazz Palmintieri), and The Usual Suspects is enjoyable for the way it keeps the viewer guessing right up to its surprise ending. Whether that ending will enhance or extinguish the pleasure is up to each viewer to decide. Even if it ultimately makes little or no sense at all, this is a funny and fiendish thriller, guaranteed to entertain even its vocal detractors. --Jeff Shannon
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: "Round up the usual suspects" Comment: "The Usual Suspects" is one of director Bryan Singer's early achievements. Forget the bombast of "Superman Returns",or his upcoming "Valkyrie"... this stands as a film noir classic. Kevin Spacey,Benicio Del Toro,Stephen Baldwin,and Gabriel Byrne are an excellent ensemble cast in this thriller.
"The Usual Suspects",unlike most thrillers,is more psychological than action packed. Gabriel Byrne stars as a reformed cop while Kevin Spacey is the con man Verbal Kint. There are mind games galore. Who IS Keyser Soze? That's up to the viewer to find out.
"The Usual Suspects" keeps you guessing. It's a delicious dish of red herrings. And... who is the arch-criminal,Keyser Soze? Customer Rating: Summary: The Usual Suspects - Blu-ray Info Comment: Version: U.S.A / Region A
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
MPEG-2 BD-50
Running time: 1:46:04
Movie size: 19,42 GB
Disc size: 22,14 GB
Average video bit rate: 18.82 Mbps
Subtitles: English SDH / French / Spanish
Number of chapters: 32
#Theatrical trailer
#Bonus trailers Customer Rating: Summary: Looking For Something Different? Check This Film Out! Comment: Before I offer any analysis of "The Usual Suspects", I would first like to say that (as is well know by now) the film has perhaps the most mind-blowing ending in the history of American Cinema. I have long been a fan of movies with endings that are shockers (The Sixth Sense and The Others stand out as favorites), but this movie took it to an entirely new level.
I won't give away the ending here, but I will say that this film follows a narrative pattern such that guessing the "big reveal" is difficult, as information is revealed in flashbacks, thus getting more complex as the story continues. However, many other Amazon reviewers have said that, after repeated viewings (I have only seen the film once), it IS possible to somewhat predict what is going to happen.
I didn't know what to expect when I sat down to watch this movie, but I knew I was not a fan of gangster/crime films, so I was a bit leery. However, the story is so expertly crafted that one (myself included!) completely forgets that the main characters are criminals and instead focuses on the plot twists and turns.
So, I would highly recommend this film to two categories of viewers: First, those of you like me who have never seen this classic film until "now" and are wondering what all the buzz is about, you won't be disappointed. Second, those of you who love surprise endings (even if you aren't too keep on cop/police dramas) will obsess over this film for weeks or months after viewing! Customer Rating: Summary: Appreciate honesty and good business! Comment: My money was refunded, the seller sent me an email telling me that he felt that the movie was not of good quality and did not feel comfortable sending it. Customer Rating: Summary: Half clever & rather ridiculous. Comment: Look, Mr. Super Criminal ("Soze") walks free smoking a cig at the end and we're supposed to think oh what a scary winner he is ...and he gets even with everybody-However, aside from Soze having no friends, some rich executives in the Carolinas have quite legally ripped him off and Soze is too dumb to know it.--I mean the cigarettes he buys from the tobacco companies and the heart disease or cancer he probably will get.--The shareholders of Philip Morris Corp. must have laughed their heads off if they watched this.
