Amongst The Best Ever Gangster Films

Rating: 10/10 (18 August 2006)

I am not prone to hyperbole.The gangster pic genre has a long, distinguished history. The classic ingredients are often imitate, but rarely improved upon.Then came The Usual Suspects.
Singer shoots for the stars in the opening sequence, and hits the target.The sweeping classical music, the incessant rain, the unexplained bodycount, an unfolding picture of catastrophe - all draw the viewer into this compelling and outstanding film.Cliché is bypassed and fine storytelling unfolds.
The ensemble cast are brilliant.Giancarlo Esposito is outstanding as Jack Baer, the deadpan FBI agent determined to get his man. The Suspects themselves give bravura character performances each of which colour the question, Who, or what, is Keyser Soze? Where this film scores is that although it is firmly in the Gangster genre, it is narrative and plot driven. The gritty violence is incidental and all the more powerful for it. The Twist is a bodyblow at the end, but this story bears watching again and again for its' quality alone.Reminiscent of Cagney at his finest, Singer combines the inevitability of "Carlitos Way" with the literacy of "Heat". 106 minutes, and every second counts. Unmissable.