Who is Keyser Soze ?

Rating: 9/10 (31 December 2013)

The title comes from a line in the classic film "Casablanca" (1942), where the corrupt police chief, anxious to cover up the murder of a Nazi officer, tells a subordinate to "round up the usual suspects," meaning that the police should find a bunch of random criminals to be questioned. In the film, the usual suspects are five small-time crooks who are brought together in a police line-up on trumped-up charges. Funny thing - the idea for this movie started only with the concept of a movie poster of five of guys in a lineup.
"The Usual suspects " is a modestly-budgeted piece . All the actors worked for less than their usual fees. It shows you their dedication to the project and seems impossible to make this film today , when almost every movie has a 200 mln budget. This movie doesn't have budget , but it has the thing that is really the most important in a movie – screenplay.
The ending is one of the most memorable scenes in movie history . It's very simple and very effective . Simply unforgettable , when the truth hits you like a ton of bricks. The quote from the French poet Charles Baudelaire "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist" appears in this movie and it's definitely one of the most famous lines in movie history.
The story seems convoluted , but in the end makes perfect sense. It grabs you from the start with the mystery of what happened in the docks. There are more mysteries and twists along the way until the very end. Like every good criminal this movie does lose it's magic on repeated viewings , yet not quite. On repeated viewings you can see many clues you might have missed . You will also notice how well written the dialogues are.
Kevin Spacey gives quite possibly the best performance of his career as fast-talking yet shy con artist crippled by cerebral palsy. He deserved Oscar . The rest of the cast shines too - Gabriel Byrne , Benicio Del Toro , Kevin Pollak , Chazz Palmintieri and even Stephen Baldwin. The music by John Ottman is underrated . It's very elegant and moody score. Bryan Singer directs with confidence and energy , never allowing the plot to be confusing.
The only bad thing I can say about this movie that it's only a game . There's nothing , no message , no substance underneath this brilliant construction. It's just a pure entertainment and intelligent fun with the viewer , but who said that's a bad thing ? I give it 9/10.