A Convoluted Crime with a Great Escape

Rating: 7/10 (28 March 2020)

The Usual Suspects is a 1995 Crime-Thriller directed by Bryan Singer. The film stars Kevin Spacey, Benicio Del Toro, Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, and Kevin Pollak as the film's group of hardened criminals. The film follows Kevin Spacey's character, Roger "Verbal" Knit as he narrates a series of crimes to the Police to find the truth of a high scale massacre.
The acting in the film is hit or miss. For the most part, the main cast does a great job in the portrayal of their characters. Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Verbal is well done. Verbal has a physical disability and is considered to be stupid. Spacey displays a convincing lack of mobility in the film. Simultaneously, Spacey's body language is believably timid and mild manner. Moreover, Benicio Del Toro's portrayal of Fred Fenster was fantastic. Del Toro engrains Fenster with a thick accent that lends a realistic and natural spirit to the character. Gabriel Byrne plays Dean Keaton, serving as the assumed leader of the criminals. Byrne's portrayal of Keaton grants the film levity and a cooler head. Byrne's facial expressions are really well done. Keaton is a character tormented by his past. Despite being haunted, Keaton serves as the straight man, driven by love as opposed to gain. Chazz Palminteri acts as Officer, Dave Kujan. Palminteri does a great job showcasing intensity and grit when needed. He drives the film by answering the questions when needed. Despite moments of great acting, the dialogue suffers from poor writing and delivery in some aspects.
Some characters are one-dimensional. Certain actors deliver their lines with too much force and intensity. Verbal has the best dialogue in the film. "The greatest trick that the devil ever pulled was making people believe he didn't exist," is an incredible line. The police officers in the film are also afforded some great lines, and engaging moments of discourse. At times, anger throughout the film feels unnecessary. In terms of being written, specific characters are very dumb, whereas others are brilliant. The aggression in the film is heavy handed at moments, diluting the story's progression. Up until the conclusion, the story is convoluted and predictable. The time jumps and flashbacks are placed poorly at moments. The story could've benefited from more "present day" moments, rather than flashbacks. On the other hand, the ending makes up for a lot of these issues by being so impactful. The convolution of the story is a testament to who is truly narrating it.
The cinematography is decent for its time. Mostly, there's no unique style to be had in the cinematography. The camera work is atypical for an action film in the 90s. The best shot moments in the film come from the conclusion. The action in this film is decent. The audio mixing is bright toward the end of the film. However, the soundtrack is very bland, making the film feel like a direct to TV movie, as opposed to a theatrical release.
Overall, The Usual Suspects is confusing at first, but recoups with an iconic and memorable ending. The Usual Suspects is a good crime-thriller driven by great acting.