Fantastic Crime Thriller

Rating: 9/10 (20 April 2004)

Possible spoilers
No matter how many times I see this film, (and this was about the tenth time I believe) I still look for clues to the final outcome, and I still have a smile on my face the last five minutes of the film. The first time I saw this movie, it was by myself at the theater, and I could not help but exclaim, `Holy CRAP!' (to the delight of the people around me) and that effect hasn't lessened much in the ensuing decade because this film is so well done.
There are not many films that I would recommend to just about everyone, but `The Usual Suspects' has always been one of them. There is intrigue, great dialogue, a brilliant screenplay and some top-notch acting, especially from Kevin Spacey, who earned a well-deserved Oscar. In terms of the direction, there aren't a lot of stylistic similarities between this film and say, Singer's X-Men series, but because they are of different genres, they are impossible to compare. Every time I watch this film I focus on something different to admire, and this time it was the incredible musical score - it is a great intensity builder and is the perfect accompaniment to a near-perfect film.
--Shelly