Why The Usual Suspects is the best movie of all time

Rating: 10/10 (3 March 2017)

The best movies of all time are often the types of movies that you can watch over and over again and find something you never noticed the first time you watched it. The Usual Suspects, directed by Bryan Singer, is everything that a thriller mystery movie should have. The story follows a criminal played by Kevin Spacey who recalls the story of his partners in crime and how they all ended up getting killed by a man named Kaiser Soze, a supposed myth in the criminal world. The story, as it unfolds, is full of mystery about who the true identity of this Kaiser Soze character is, making the audience believe that Dean Keaton, portrayed by Gabriel Byrne, is only man that could be Kaiser Soze.
What makes this movie stand out above the others and makes one want to watch it multiple times is the twist. The major twist at the end shocks not only the audience, but also the characters in the movie, making the reaction that much better. What makes the twist in this movie so effective and shocking is the fact that the audience finds out the truth at the same time as the characters. Seeing the characters and how they react to the twist gives the audience a certain way to feel and how they should also react to the mind boggling realization. Not only does the way that the story is told, first person and through flashbacks, make the movie great, but the artistic climax at the very end makes it a movie you would watch over and over again. Since the movie is able to draw the audience in by having two climaxes at the end of the film, of which also happen to be the two twists, the audience is left even more in shock and awe the second time compared to the first. The first climax occurs with only ten minutes left in the movie, as the officer doing the interrogating draws the conclusion from Verbal Kint's, played by Kevin Spacey, story that Dean Keaton is the alleged Keyser Soze. Five minutes later, the second climax occurs after Kint leaves the police station, as the officer realizes with shock and disbelief that Kint is actually Keyser Soze. The way the the officer realizes the truth as well is so methodically thought out. After Kint leaves, the officer sits on his desk, drinking coffee and just looking at all the police stories posted on the wall behind his desk. Wide eyed, the officer realizes that some of the stories Kint told were just stories from the wall. It is this single moment that makes the viewer want to watch the movie multiple times as you're never completely sure what parts of Kint's story is real and what parts are simply made up.
Along with the twists, and the story telling, the acting done by Kenvin Spacey is that of legends and fine tuned actors. The writing of the script and how Spacey was able to portray the emotions of his character, a "crippled man," makes you feel a special connection to him, but the big twist is able to take that well crafted connection and completely topple it over. The artistic way that the camera follows Kint in the last closing scenes also makes this movie mind blowing and jaw dropping. One of the last shots is of Kint's crippled feet, limping away from the police station. However, with the audience now knowing that Kint is Keyser Soze, when they witness Kint's limp evolve into a regular stride, showing that Kint faked even his disability, everything becomes clear.
Besides just being entertaining, the movie can also contain a deeper, darker meaning in that shows the audience that not every story told will be a hundred percent true and can often times be perverted for the benefits of a story teller. Due to the great story, the effectiveness of the twists, and the acting, the Usual Suspects is one of many movies that belong in everyone's top movies list.