Overrated

Rating: 6/10 (14 November 2000)

I finally saw The Usual Suspects, one of the staple movies of the current generation, and I have to say I was disappointed. It's a good thriller, a cut above average, but several major flaws prevent it from being a classic. Warning: minor spoilers
The trick ending, which has been widely praised, is in fact too much a gimmick for its own good. I won't give it away, but I will say that the fun thing about twists is that, on repeat viewings, the trick seems obvious. How could you not have realized it? (6th sense and Dead Again are perfect examples.) In the case of Suspects, however, there is absolutely no way you could see it coming. The script was so perfectly engineered to deceive you, it's no fun the second time around.
More problems: too many characters. I'm not talking about the criminals--they're all great, but the cops. There are three officers of the law in the movie--two of which do nothing. Scenes with them are a waste of time.
I will give it this: Spacey is great, and certain scenes are very intruiging. But when you find out that none of those scenes mattered, the movie is no fun.