The Usual Suspects (1995) – Film Review

Director: Bryan Singer
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri
Certificate: 18

By Sarah Morgan

Hype can be a dangerous thing. It’s all well and good those publicity folk drumming up a heap of interest in a production, but these things can go too far, and you end up in a situation where your expectations are so high, they’re never going to be met.

I’m afraid that’s the place I find myself in with The Usual Suspects. Its cinema release 30 years ago received huge amounts of critical praise and awards aplenty. When I saw it on its first TV broadcast, I thought I’d be blown away, but instead felt a little “meh” towards it.

Now, a few decades on, I thought it was time to give the film another go, particularly as it’s been dusted down and given a new 4k restoration.

“Twists and turns”

Directed by Bryan Singer and written by his childhood friend Christopher McQuarrie, the story follows the fortunes of five criminals who get acquainted during a police line-up. Much of the film is revealed in flashback by one of the gang’s number, Verbal Kint, who claims their meeting was no accident – it was masterminded by the mysterious Keyser Soze.

But who is Soze, and why did he need the quintet? All is revealed in one of the most convoluted, intricate plots ever devised. Admittedly it’s all very clever, but perhaps a little too much so. I did enjoy it more on second viewing, but there are so many twists and turns, it does get a little confusing at times. Nevertheless, the denouement is incredibly impressive – I can’t possibly discuss it for fear of giving away spoilers. So while I’m not completely converted, I can’t help but admire the production.

These days, it’s easy to forget, amid numerous allegations about his private life, what a great actor Kevin Spacey can be. The Usual Suspects gave him a chance to prove his performance chops as Kint; he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his efforts.

“Top of their game”

But this is an ensemble piece, and if other members of the central quintet – Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollak and Benicia del Toro – weren’t at the top of their game too, it simply wouldn’t be worth watching at all. Chazz Palminteri, who plays the special agent on the gang’s trail, also deserves plaudits. The same cannot be said of the usually reliable Pete Postlethwaite as Soze’s henchman, Kobaybashi; his bizarre accent is completely off-putting.

Audio commentaries, including one involving Singer and McQuarrie, are among the special features. Look out too for archive interviews with the cast and crew (finding out about the bad feeling between Baldwin and Pollak is rather entertaining), a making-of documentary and outtakes.