The Usual Suspects (1995)

A sole survivor tells of the twisty events leading up to a horrific gun battle on a boat, which began when five criminals met at a seemingly random police lineup.

Director:

Bryan Singer

Writer:

Christopher McQuarrie

Stars:

Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri

Top Rated Movies #32 | Won 2 Oscars. Another 35 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen Baldwin	...	McManus
Gabriel Byrne	...	Keaton
Benicio Del Toro	...	Fenster
Kevin Pollak	...	Hockney
Kevin Spacey	...	Verbal
Chazz Palminteri	...	Dave Kujan
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Kobayashi
Suzy Amis	...	Edie Finneran
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Jack Baer
Dan Hedaya	...	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 criminals are arrested and brought together for questioning. As none of them are 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 | criminal mastermind | dirty cop | burying a body | 

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Taglines:

In a world where nothing is what it seems you've got to look beyond...

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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:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Hungarian Spanish French

Release Date:

15 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Usual Suspects

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$645,363, 20 August 1995

Gross USA:

$23,341,568

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,341,568

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Spelling Films International, Blue Parrot

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kevin Pollak played a Hungarian mob boss in The Whole Ten Yards (2004). Many of the main characters (they were on the ship that got blown up), were Hungarian mobsters.

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Goofs

The blood on the elevator window.

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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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Alternate Versions

The Australian television version left the line-up scene unedited for language. However, all other scenes with strong language, such as McManus's call for payback at the discovery of Finster's body, were shortened or removed.

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Connections

Referenced in Ghosted: Pilot (2017)

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Soundtracks

Le sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir
Performed by Jon Kull
Music by Claude Debussy

User Reviews

If plagiarism were a crime in film techniques, dir...

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.