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With: Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite, Giancarlo Esposito, Suzy Amis, Dan Hedaya, Clark Gregg
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Written by: Christopher McQuarrie
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Directed by: Bryan Singer
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MPAA Rating: R for violence and a substantial amount of strong language
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Running Time: 106
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Date: 12/31/1994
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The Usual Suspects (1995)
Who Is Keyser Soze?
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
To many young film buffs, this is where film history begins and ends. And I guess you can't blame them with a thriller this clever and satisfying. This is great storytelling, in a movie so confident that it dangles clues right in front of your face, where you're not used to looking for them. (While you're relaxing, you should be looking for clues.)
In writer Christopher McQuarrie and director Bryan Singer's sneaky, twisty The Usual Suspects (1995), the palsied "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey) is questioned by Special Agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri). Verbal spins a complicated, almost preposterous story that begins when he was arrested along with four other criminals: Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), Fenster (Benicio del Toro, with a hilarious and bizarre accent), Hockney (Kevin Pollak), and McManus (Stephen Baldwin). The five decide to rob some jewels from corrupt police, and this leads to another job that unexpectedly turns from jewels to drugs.
The mysterious, legendary, and deadly crime lord Keyser Soze ties into the scheme; each of the five men is connected to him via some previous job. The filmmakers handle this crazy plot and the myriad of flashbacks with astounding agility, rendering everything not only understandable, but also tense, electrifying, and often amusing. Anyone that has seen it remembers the creeping, prickly shock that comes with the film's denouncement, and even if you know the ending, the puzzle still snaps together with such terrific precision that multiple viewings are hugely rewarding.
In 2002, MGM released a new special edition DVD, eclipsing its 1999 release. It contains two brand-new commentary tracks: one by director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie, and one by composer/editor John Ottman. Highlights include deleted scenes, and a weird gag reel. In 2011, MGM and Fox released a Blu-Ray Book edition, which, for some reason, has none of the old extras. It comes with a bunch of trailers.
In 2022, Kino Lorber released a fantastic, deluxe Blu-ray that comes with tons of stuff: a commentary track by director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie, another track by editor and composer John Ottman, an interview with cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, an interview with Ottman, several featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, TV spots, and trailers for this and several other movies.
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