illusions and reality

Rating: 10/10 (11 December 2010)

The film The Usual Suspects directed by Bryan Singer is a suspenseful crime thriller. The film has an assortment of attention-grabbing characters starting with Gabriel Byrne who plays Dane Keaton a stoic ex-cop who has a way of making people and witnesses disappears. Next, Kevin Spacey plays Roger "Verbal" Kent con artists with cerebral palsy's disease and squealer. Next, Stephen Baldwin plays Micheal McManus a hot tempered and risky thief willing to gamble with his life for major profit. Next, Benicio Del Toro Micheal McManus partner "Fence" a mobster with a passion for destroying the English language. Finally, Kevin Pollack plays Todd Hackney a wise guy thief with a love of explosives. The film would not be complete without detectives. Every great mystery movie has to have detectives. Giancarlo Esposito plays FBI agent Jack Baer and Chazz Palminteri completes the cast as US customs agent David Kujan. The themes of the movie are illusions; nothing is what it appears to be and mystery. From the beginning of the movie, you are enthralled in mystery. A boat blows up, close to thirty men slaughtered and rumored ninety million dollars worth of goods on the boat. The question is what was on the boat? Who was on the boat? And at the end of it who is this mythological criminal named Keyser Soze? So immediately, the detectives are on top of it. The detectives begin investigating but know learn nothing so they stage a smoke out. They wrangle up five criminals that are always up to mischief and seem to know a lot of information. Dane Keaton, Verbal, McManus, Fence, and Todd are arrested and held until the detectives can squeeze some information out of them. Meanwhile, the criminals begin talking amongst themselves and criminal do what normally they are inclined to do. It is plot on evil ways of making crime. Dane Keaton is reluctant because he trying to fly straight. The criminals eventually find out the detectives are only blowing smoke and have zilch. Dane Keaton quickly makes bail due to his high profiled lawyer lover. So on the steps of leaving the precinct, the men peer into each other eye as though they have figured out what they are going to embark on next. They form a team and begin doing crime for profit. Next, they run into a so called character name Red Foot and he gives them a heist. They commit a robbery for jewels. The heist ends up as a let down. They come away with some cocaine. Immediately, frustrated and upset they begin arguing with each other. Then out of know where they learn of the so called mystery upper echelon boss through a Mr. Kobayashi. Then, on out the plot thickens. This film reminds me of the film Sherlocke Holmes (2009) directed by Guy Ritchie. It is suspenseful, mysterious, and a roller-coaster packed full of illusions. In the film Sherlocke Holmes, you have to watch it to the very end just like you will have to do this film which screams ending full of twists. Two things that are specialized in this film are characterization and narration. The narration of this film is done by Verbal in a flash back method. He sits in the office and spills the beans. He tells the story from his perspective. In any crime movie, a criminal perspective can always be subjective due to modus operandi. Characterization is done by having two of the main characters Dane and Verbal. Dane is a strong powerful, stoic, and cold blooded killer with intellect. On the other, hand you have Verbal a wimpy, cripple, mouthy, and equally divisive person. These two compliments each other like the two characters off of The Andy Griffith Show. Remember in a mystery movie, clues are every where. Criminals are often multifaceted and cannot be generalized, and every one has an angle when money is involved. If you remember any thing from this review remember nothing is as it seems or is it?