in 1995 , brian singer and christopher mcquarrie dreamed up a simple concept : the audience is n't stupid .
from that , they went on and created the most plot - driven , intricately pieced movie in the last 25 years .
the result : the usual suspects , one hell of a movie that redefines the word plot twist .
the story is convoluted , and is really confusing to read , although easy to follow on screen .
special investigator kujan ( chazz palminteri ) grills " verbal " kint ( kevin spacey ) , a crippled con - man who is the lone survivor of an la boat explosion that claimed more than 20 victims .
kujan wants to confirm that his nemesis , the rogue cop keaton ( gabriel byrne ) , is actually dead .
kint relates the majority of the film in flashback , beginning with the fateful day when five shifty guys meet in a police - station lineup in new york city .
along with dour keaton , kint encounters cheerfully sociopathic mcmanus ( stephen baldwin ) , mordantly sarcastic hockney ( kevin pollak ) , and fenster ( benicio del toro ) , whose speech is virtually incomprehensible .
together they plot to steal a small fortune in gems from " new york 's finest taxi service " --crooked cops who provide escort service for visiting drug kingpins .
what follows is a shell - game of violence and betrayal , all hinging on the identity of a mysterious villain called keyser soze .
the film is brilliantly compact : its the shortest 90 minutes you 'll ever spend in a movie theater .
the cast is exceptional .
palminteri shines , he is brutally honest , a true cop , one who is going after the whole story because its there .
byrne is terrific ,
his brooding character , his seriousness is needed to supplement the hysteria of benicio del toro , who is a riot as fenster .
del toro is brilliant , his lines are a jumbled mess , you ca n't understand a word the man says , but it sure is damn funny .
baldwin is also very good
, he is careful , methodical , and cold , a chilling character with a nasty streak of hot - blooded sarcasm .
pollak is also terrific as usual , a very good character actor .
however , this will be forever known as the film that launched kevin spacey .
spacey is simply breathtaking , he is a force on screen , giving a magnetic performance
that jars the senses at the end of this twisting maze .
spacey 's performance will be remembered for years , for it is the best of his career , it may be the best supporting actor performance in the last 50 years .
verbal kint is a clever storyteller , weak , oppressed , and gleefully evil to the bone , yet pitiful , one who draws sympathy .
the film is a good one , a decent film until the last 10 minutes .
what this film boils down to is the greatest ending in cinematic history , for me at least .
the revelation of keyser soze , the closing gunfights ,
it is something wondrous .
you have to see this movie about 10 times to believe what they do .
kudos to mcquarrie and singer for giving the audience a delightful , fast - paced , furiously plot - driven movie with quirky characters , phenomenal acting , and some hilarious moments
stuck in the middle .
mcquarrie refuses to believe the audience is dumb .
without furnishing too many details , he concocts his story and lets it run , hoping the audience gets it at the end .
we do .
this might just be the finest cinematic puzzle ever created .
kudos also to singer and john ottman , who created the score .
they both create what is a true film - noir setting , carefully setting up this intricate puzzle until the final , jarring ending .
there are flaws : more questions raised than answers , lack of character development , and no strong female characters ( save one ) .
however , the plot , and that stunning ending , make up for all the flaws and more . if you have n't seen the movie , rent it .
watch it .
then rewind the tape , and watch it again .
trust me , you 'll be amazed .
Output: P