4 out of 10 -- A little too obvious

Rating: 4/10 (28 February 2001)

I decided to watch this film given its high ratings on IMDB and the promises of a great twist at the end.
So I went into it looking for what that twist might be.
Somewhere around the half-way point in the film I was getting a strong suspicion as to what the twist would be. The film then proceeded to confirm this suspicion in a fairly artless and heavy-handed way with tons of emphasis on a certain character and odd things that they did or said that could only be explained if my guess was right.
So I told myself that I was probably just falling for a nicely conceived red herring and that I still had a good twist to look forward to.
But no, the twist at the end just confirmed my suspicion and I was left feeling cheated that there was no more to it than that.
It seemed all too obvious and therefore the film failed for me.
Neither was the film saved by any great performances, dialogue, action sequences, photography or special effects. Everything hinged on the supposed intrigue of the story. The principal cast members gave poor performances especially Gabriel Byrne who was wooden throughout. Kevin Spacey was good but not great. In a supporting role Chazz Palminteri gave as much as he could but a solid supporting performance does not a great film make.
I am by no means a great detective nor am I an avid mystery solver. It took no great intelligence to see what was coming in the film---its secret was simply not well hidden.
This film does not compare alongside other great 'puzzle' films that are designed derive their fame from cunning plot twists. M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense and Neil Jordan's The Crying Game are two recent examples of excellence in this genre where the hints given along the way are so subtle that they are never noticed until one avidly views the films a second time.
I will certainly not be viewing The Usual Suspects again...
--Fergus