The Usual Suspects (1995)

A boat has been destroyed, criminals are dead, and the key to this mystery lies with the only survivor and his twisted, convoluted story beginning with five career crooks in a seemingly random police lineup.

Director:

Bryan Singer

Writer:

Christopher McQuarrie

Stars:

Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey

Top 250 #26 | Won 2 Oscars. Another 29 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen Baldwin	...	Michael McManus
Gabriel Byrne	...	Dean Keaton
Benicio Del Toro	...	Fred Fenster
Kevin Pollak	...	Todd Hockney
Kevin Spacey	...	Roger 'Verbal' Kint
Chazz Palminteri	...	Dave Kujan, US Customs
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Kobayashi
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Jack Baer, FBI
Suzy Amis	...	Edie Finneran
Dan Hedaya	...	Sgt. Jeffrey 'Jeff' Rabin
Paul Bartel	...	Smuggler
Carl Bressler	...	Saul Berg
Phillipe Simon	...	Fortier
Jack Shearer	...	Renault
Christine Estabrook	...	Dr. Plummer

Storyline

Following a truck hijack in New York, five conmen are arrested and brought together for questioning. As none of them is guilty, they plan a revenge operation against the police. The operation goes well, but then the influence of a legendary mastermind criminal called Keyser Söze is felt. It becomes clear that each one of them has wronged Söze at some point and must pay back now. The payback job leaves 27 men dead in a boat explosion, but the real question arises now: Who actually is Keyser Söze?

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Plot Keywords:

criminal | suspect | revenge | explosion | hijacking | 

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Taglines:

Five Criminals . One Line Up . No Coincidence

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and a substantial amount of strong language

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Studios [United States]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Hungarian Spanish French

Release Date:

16 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die üblichen Verdächtigen

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

£2,503,343 (UK) (15 September 1995)

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Spelling Films International, Blue Parrot

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Fenster was named after the German for window, and originally conceived as the oldest man of the group, a more seasoned veteran. Benicio Del Toro was originally asked to audition for the role of McManus. Benicio asked to audition for the role of Fenster, telling the director that he had an 'idea' for the part. The unintelligible way that Fenster spoke was Benicio's idea, and the director decided to go with it. In one scene, Hockney says in response to Fenster, "What did he just say?" That was Kevin Pollak the actor speaking, not his character; he actually did not understand what Fenster said. The cop's (Christopher McQuarrie) reaction to Fenster in the line-up ("In English please") was unscripted and unrehearsed, as was Fenster's rather strong reaction.

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Goofs

When the two police officers pick up the emerald smuggler at the airport, their squad car number on the license plate is 2485. Later when they are hit from behind by the van and are robbed the the squad car number on the side has changed to 6423.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Keyser Soze: How you doing Keaton?
Keaton: I can't feel my legs... Keyser.

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Crazy Credits

The editor, John Ottman, edited the movie on film. He felt that all the editing done electronically at the time was horrible because all the good editors were still working on film (which is much more difficult). Because of this he thought about putting "Edited on a piece of s*** Steenbeck" at the end of the credits, but instead settled for the more subtle line "Edited on film." Tim Robbins was directing 'Dead Man Walking' at the time and heard about John's idea, which sparked that film's credit ending of "This film was edited on old machines."

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Connections

References Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Steppin' Out"
Performed by Paul Nelson
Music by Paul Nelson and Carl Verheyen
Lyrics by Paul Nelson
Courtesy of Montage Records

User Reviews

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.

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.

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.