a movie about stereotypes

Rating: 5/10 (7 May 2013)

The Usual Suspects (1995) is a movie about stereotypes. The theme focuses on ideas and the social problems of the police investigations. A crime is committed and first group of suspects the police bring in to question are the men who have formerly committed crimes and are automatically assumed to be involved with the current incident. When the five men are brought in, they decide to collaborate on a scheme to teach the police a lesson. Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey) is a crippled con artist. Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) was a former corrupt police officer. Michael McManus (Stephen Baldwin) had a bad temper that got him into trouble along with his partner, Fred Fenster (Benicio Del Toro). Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollak) is the last of the five "usual suspects".
The lighting in The Usual Suspects is effective because it fits the criminal activity going on. A bunch of criminals meeting in a dark alley just gives it that "typical" feel. They are sneaking around at night, or after dark, to put the plan into motion. Admittedly, it would be easier to hijack a ship in the dark than in broad daylight, when someone could see you coming.
Throughout the movie, Verbal narrates the situations and orchestrates the entire collaborative event. His voice is very calm and soothing. It sounds as if he is an innocent victim. Verbal was portrayed as a "poor" crippled man that was just a victim of circumstance. As it turns out, he was very intelligent and could think very quickly on his feet. As the scheme to fool the cops plays out, the other four men are disposed of and Verbal is in the detective's office being grilled and yelled at. The detective is hot on his trail and knows something is awry. The detective is not buying his story about him not know what was going on and insisted he knew more information about Keyser SÃ–ze than what he was telling. After being released, because they did not have enough evidence, the detective begins to see the full picture. As the truth comes together, it is too late.
The multiple layers in this movie make it difficult to follow at times. It is definitely a suspenseful thriller, but not really a believable true event. The point is well proved; people are not what you think they are based on how they are stereotyped.