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The Usual Suspects (1995)

thereviewers
Nov 16, 2015
2 min read

The Usual Suspects is a crime thriller with a twist. Held in an L.A interrogation room, Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) attempts to convince the Feds that a mythic Crime Lord, known as Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbour - leaving few survivors. As more information is relayed to the Feds, it seems like the police have almost figured out the identity of Keyser Soze, but is it too little, too late?

Overall Review Score

4.5 out of 10

Review

The Usual Suspects is a crime thriller that never fully delivered on its ambitious premise. The films tagline, five criminals, one line-up, no coincidence, will attract the audience but its 102-minute run time and convoluted storyline interspersed with occasional unnecessary dialogue-heavy scenes will quickly alienate them before the film’s final scene reveals all. While Kevin Spacey does a decent job of using drama and wackiness to propel the film forward and thus stopping it from being a complete flop, it is not enough to reduce boredom and sustain the audience’s interest. The Usual Suspects would have worked better as a play; its use of one main set coupled with its slow but steady build up to the big ending twist would easily receive critical acclaim on West End. However, in Hollywood, it never reaches its apex. Overall, The Usual Suspects does have some noteworthy scenes, mainly in the final thirty minutes, but for the majority of the film it tries too hard to be good – ultimately causing it to be seen as a rehash of other more notable thriller or drama troupes.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 4 out of 10

Comments:

While the story of The Usual Suspects is rather predictable and will have the audience hoping for most of the film that their early suppositions, about the identity of famed Crime Lord Keyser Soze, are wrong, the film does make up for some of this fault by very cleverly feeding the audience and the feds false information. The film does this through the interrogations between Verbal Kint and the police that manage to not only keep the story somehow alive but also showcases how much of a cunning storyteller Kevin Spacey can be.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 5 out of 10

Comments:

There is not much I can say about this film. Despite Kevin Spacey’s best efforts to salvage the film and make it at least partly thrilling and entertaining, The Usual Suspects falls flat on its face. The film, at times, is slow and painfully dull and the intercutting of the interrogation and flashback scenes comes across very sluggish. Overall, The Usual Suspects will take the audience on a journey and finish with a very iconic and memorable scene but the vast majority of modern audiences just will not be able to sit through its 102-minute runtime to enjoy it. It is a disappointingly mediocre film that will leave audiences wanting more.