Review: The Usual Suspects

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2010)

The Usual Suspects is a twisty thriller with a dizzying storyline. The story is very manipulative, demands the viewer's full attention, constantly slithers around the characters, and boils until reaches its unexpected climax. The screenplay is structured as a complex puzzle and refuses to divulge any clues to its solution until the final piece is in place. The film is both challenging and rewarding. It plays with the audience's expectation until the very end when the viewer is finally rewarded by finding out about who Keyser Soze really is.
The story is told via the narration and point of view of one of the suspects Verbal Kint (by Kevin Spacey) through flashbacks. The plot is about five cons, Kint, Keaton (by Gabriel Byrne), McManus (by Stephen Baldwin), Hockney (by Kevin Pollack), and Fenster (by Benicio Del Toro), that are trickily brought together to do a suicidal job for a mysterious figure, Keyser Soze, that will pay them $91 million. The central theme revolves around the mystical man, Soze, who is linked to the devil in the film. However, as the story prolongs, it is not clear whether he is a real person or just a legend.
I watched the full screen version of the movie that delivers a sharp and beautifully defined image. The cinematography features drastic lighting and camera angles to create more or less tension for the scenes. Most of the scenes are played at night giving the film a dark sinister feel. Dark and bright lights accentuate on the drama and tension of the story, low-key lights give a dreary effect. The film features lots of bright white over the head shots. Tension is also created by extreme close-ups. The combination of lighting and camera shots create a shadowy underworld background. The low angle camera shots used to help the audience to understand the helplessness of the character. For example, in the opening scene a big part of the screen is covered by a man, whose identity remains a mystery until the very end, holding a gun on Keaton. Low camera angle accentuates on the height difference between the unknown man and Keaton, who is about to be killed. The low angle shots also emphasize on the importance and power of the unknown man in this scene. The audience only sees a portion of the mystery man and only from behind which adds to his secretive character.
The cinematography also features an interesting interplay of colors, from the bright red shirt of Fenster to the dark color room scenes.
The final scene, where everything comes together, is completely dependent on visuals and requires the viewer's full attention. The ending makes the audience want to see the movie again to explore the story-line for further understanding of the complicated labyrinth of the plot.
The musical score driving the movie reinforces the story and instills even greater emotions in the audience. The score makes the climax of the film even more shocking. The tone of music creates a mysteries atmosphere. Slow songs represent sadness and faster beat represents action.
Two other movies that I could link The Usual Suspects to are Reservoir Dogs and Identity. There are also a group of criminals brought together in Reservoir Dogs to do a job. Identity, just like The Usual Suspects, features lots of twists and turns with an unexpected ending.
In conclusion, The Usual Suspects is one of the best movies I have ever seen. The multi-level plot structure assures that the viewer can find something new at each watch. The farther the movie goes, the more the audience realizes that not everything is what it seems. The plot circles around and keeps building and building before it hits the mark keeping the viewer pinned to their chair.