THE USUAL SUSPECTS
US, 1995, 106 minutes, Colour.
Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite, Giancarlo Esposito, Suzy Amis, Dan Hedaya, Paul Bartel.
Directed by Bryan Singer.
An unusual crime thriller - and we are not sure that all the suspects are so usual either. Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) tells the police a story about a heist on a ship that went wrong. As he tells his vivid story, we learn about a gang whose ruthlessness and viciousness increases as they take on commissions from crime czars. And it all seems to be moving to a clear and neat ending when one realises that there is a twist (but not exactly the twist expected). A strong cast, led by Gabriel Byrne, brings the suspect gang to life and Chazz Palmenteri leads the police. Kevin Spacey won his first Oscar for his role and Christopher Mc Quarrie won an Oscar for best original screenplay.
The criminal is a Hungarian mastermind with the memorable name of Keyser Soeze (quoted in many films after).
The strength is in the plot and in the writing so characters are vivid and the audience stays involved in all the ramifications of the plot. Forceful crime drama and characters.
1.The acclaim for the film? Awards? Seen as a classic of the 1990s?
2.The title, the tone, the expectations, the ironies?
3.The strong cast? The international range? Kevin Spacey and his Oscar-winning performance?
4.The structure of the film: the fire, the introduction to Keaton, the confrontation with Sozei, Keaton’s death? The mystery? The background to the arrests of all the gang, the set-up? The various flashbacks? The interview with Verbal Kint? The flashbacks for his story? The cumulative effect of the personalities, the planned crime, the set-up, their deaths? The irony of the ending?
5.The focus on Keyser Sozei? Talk about him? The set-up of his power, strength? The flashbacks about the fire, the deaths, his Hungarian background, in Turkey? In the United States? The response of people in terror? Talking about seeing his face? Verbal and his recounting the legends? The value of seeing the film the second time, listening to Verbal, looking at him, the flashbacks – and the final revelation?
6.The arrests of each of the characters, the line-up? The introduction to each? Dean Keaton, his police background, corruption, prison? His relationship with Edie, her work as a lawyer? In love with him? His dominance? His attitude towards the police interrogation? Michael Mc Manus and his friendship with Fred Finster? The reckless personalities? Todd Hockney, his work in the garage, offhand, ruthless? Verbal Kint, hanging on, hanging on, his lame leg? His brains? Unobtrusive? The importance of the interviews with the police? The revelation that Keyser Sozei had a hold over each of them? Mr Kobayashi and his calm accusations? The police reaction?
7.The set-up for the crime, the success – but their being set up by the police?
8.Mr Kobayashi, his appearance, his allegiance to Mr Sozei? Talk, the hold? Verbal Kint? In the building, the threats by the gang? The irony of the ending and his driving Verbal away?
9.The local Los Angeles crime boss, the drugs, the set-up, the motivations? The failure, the confrontation?
10.The death of Finster, the effect on the group? On Mc Manus?
11.Dave Kujan and Sergeant Rabin, their personalities, the interviews, the discussions, the background of Keaton and his police work? The interview with Verbal? Their trying to work out what had happened? Finally letting Verbal go – and the irony of realising that he was Keyser Sozei?
12.Edie, her relationship with Keaton, her being seen with the police – and her death?
13.Verbal, the finale? The background of his being Keyser Sozei, the setting up of the drug haul – with the money on the boat? The boat itself? Wanting to destroy the witness – and the scenes of him going to hospital? His dread about Sozei? The killings, the burning of the boat? The irony of Kujan looking at the calendars and the various other objects in the office – and realising that Verbal had created the names and the characters from these names?
14.The overall effect of the film? Audiences having to pay attention to the convolutions of the plot? The understandings of character? Set-ups and betrayals? Power? The role of the police? A satisfying thriller – and a satisfying twist?
