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Directed by: Bryan Singer Starring: Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Space When a ship containing drugs blows up while in harbor, a crippled witness named Verbal Kint (Spacey) is called in to tell what happened. Kint starts us off at the very beginning, where five criminals are hauled in for a crooked police lineup. One of them, Dean Keaton (Byrne), is a former criminal who wants to go straight. He soon turns back to crime, however, when his business chances fail due to the neverending hounding of the cops. The crime spree of the five goes well, until the assistant for the mythical figure 'Keyser Soze' comes bearing a job for them. The events leading up to and after the harbor explosion will have you guessing until the very end. In my opinion, the best aspect of this movie is having the events narrated by Verbal Kint. It really helps you understand them, much more than if one of the other characters had narrated it. The plot twists and intrigue also give the story a lot of oomph. This movie is one of the finest crime movies I have ever seen, and it kept me guessing until the very end.
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May 3, 2004 03:40
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 06:11 |
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This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Even to this day, I still think it's one of the most finely crafted movies out there.
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May 3, 2004 03:43
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I loved it, and I hate crime movies. Basically it's perfectly acted, directed and written.
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May 3, 2004 03:48
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Ecellent acting, plotline and score. Spacey, as usual, shines in a standout role.
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May 3, 2004 04:39
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Absolutely great film, with the best twist ending of anything ever. The "Oooooohhhh.... poo poo." expression on people's face seeing it for the first time is absolutely priceless. 4.5/5
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May 3, 2004 04:48
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This film, as far as I'm concerned, is flawless. If it's not flawless, then it's pretty goddamned near flawless, and the flaws are so minute that you don't even notice them among the beautiful perfection that is the rest of this movie.
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May 3, 2004 05:08
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The perfect caper movie. Even if you figured out the twist before it was over, as I did, it was still masterful to see it all come together.
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May 3, 2004 06:05
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"They call me Verbal." "Why?" "People say I talk too much." "I was about to tell you to shut the gently caress up." Brilliant. "I had a man's finger in my rear end in a top hat tonight." "Is it Friday already?" Even better.
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May 3, 2004 06:06
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Completely and utterly pointless. Feels like a complete waste of time. Why even make a movie about a series of imaginary events if the movie isn't even gonna pretend like they ever happened? The end just brings on an excruciating disappointment.
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May 3, 2004 06:12
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: What, wait... are we talking about the same movie? Wow. I guess I'm just suprised, I've never once heard anyone say this movie was anything but brilliant. I suppose there has to be someone out there who doesn't like it.
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May 3, 2004 06:44
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: GO BACK HOME MORAN Did you ever take the special bus? edit: Loved the style and the story of the movie 5/5
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May 3, 2004 06:55
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This is probably one of my favorite movies by far.
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May 3, 2004 06:55
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This movie is a great movie, pretend make believe or not.
velocityJE fucked around with this message at 07:16 on May 3, 2004 |
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May 3, 2004 06:59
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loving great film. What a great ending.
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May 3, 2004 07:01
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quote:RSPsych0 came out of the closet to say: All the brilliance they put into most of it doesn't mean anything because IT NEVER EVEN HAPPENED! Seriously, people always get mad (rightfully) when a whole movie/TV show turns out the stupid cliche "It was all just a dream" and this movie is only one step removed from that plot device, yet no one complains. Ridiculous.
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May 3, 2004 07:50
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: ...Christ, you obviously don't understand the movie.
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May 3, 2004 08:14
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quote:Moosk came out of the closet to say: What am I missing?
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May 3, 2004 08:16
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: If you hate the movie, then you hate the movie. But if the only reason you hate it is because you think it's made up, you should watch it again. Preferably with a seasoned Usual Suspects veteran next to you to explain it.
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May 3, 2004 08:55
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The last 5 minutes of the movie is probably the most exciting endings to a film ever. Definately top 10. (For me at least)
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May 3, 2004 08:58
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quote:natashafatale came out of the closet to say: It wasn't all real except for those parts though, we know he just made it up. Like the Kobayashi character, he appears in several scenes and we know he didn't exist at all because Kint just made him up from the name he sees while he's being interrogated. It follows logically then that nothing that Kobayashi set the main characters up to do could have happened either, because he was never there to set them in motion.
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May 3, 2004 08:59
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: I think you blaming this movie as using the "it was all a dream" plot device is a bit ridiculous. It's not really clear what exactly happened, but still, it doesn't dismiss all that happens in the movie as fantasy. I think most of it probably did happen as Verbal stated. velocityJE fucked around with this message at 09:05 on May 3, 2004 |
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May 3, 2004 09:03
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This movie arguably has the most surprising ending ever. Definetely on my top 10 list as well. As The Walrus mentioned, when people see it for the first time the "Oh poo poo!" reaction is absolutely priceless. Spacey makes the movie but all around the acting is quite good. 5/5.
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May 3, 2004 11:32
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: Well, really, there are very movies based on true stories, and even then, Hollywood rapes them, so none of them really happened either.
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May 3, 2004 15:01
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quote:Bearnt! came out of the closet to say: I'm quoting because I couldn't have said it better myself...... When I first saw it, I was STUNNED to say the least. I had to watch it 300-5000 more times to catch all of the stuff! And, it keeps getting better, every time I see it!
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May 3, 2004 17:27
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My favourite movie ever made. Sheer cinematic perfection. 5/5
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May 3, 2004 17:32
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I'll give you guys a guess or two as to where my username comes from... 5/5
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May 3, 2004 17:46
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I like the Usual Suspects very much, but I wouldn't call it one of the towering cinematic achievements of our time. The script is good, the acting is excellent across the board, and the twist ending is pulled off successfully. I'm not sure what it is about this film that elevates it to the status of timeless masterpiece with so many viewers, though. It takes more than some decent character acting and a shell game plot to make my top ten. 4/5.
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May 3, 2004 18:16
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quote:RSPsych0 came out of the closet to say: Yea, I know, I know fiction doesn't "really happen" at all. What I mean is that, at least in the "movie universe," that is, the internal world of film consistency, the stories are assumed to have happened/be true. This movie didn't even try to pretend like its story ever happened, in my opinion.
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May 3, 2004 18:52
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The story Verbal told was created by mixing facts and fiction. Everything he said was meant to lead Kujan to the wrong conclusion. It is a story within a story concept. If Kujan suspected the truth, Verbal wouldn't get away with it. As he said "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." Oxilite, you completely missed the point of this movie. Forget you ever saw it, and watch it again, and this time, try to pay attention.
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May 3, 2004 19:15
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quote:Kruller came out of the closet to say: In your opinion it mixed facts and fiction. Other than the events the police could confirm to be true, there is no evidence any of the stuff Kint talked about happened. Why would he even try to tell the truth? It'd just make it that much easier to identify his motive/actions. He'd be much better served by lying completely about the events the police weren't there to witness, at least until he could get away. The only 100% true thing we know about Kint is that he is a liar. You can guess whether some of the things the police couldn't confirm were true or not, but there isn't evidence to back that assertion.
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May 3, 2004 19:46
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: We clearly see Kobayashi, outside Verbal's storytelling, and he is therefore real. So what if he lied about the name?
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May 3, 2004 20:05
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quote:natashafatale came out of the closet to say: Just because its the same actor doesn't mean its the same character, just with the name switched. According to Kint, Keyser Soze is a pissed off Turk dressed in black, but he's really Kint himself, a scrawny white dude. We can't assume appearances match up like that (the guy in the car being Kobayashi) because we know he lied about appearances at least once as well.
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May 3, 2004 20:10
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: I'm sure you meant to spoilerize the MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE MOVIE. I fixed it for you. I think you're intentionally trying to ignore what people are saying. The movie is brilliant, and one of the few that I didn't predict the twist, or even see it coming.
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May 4, 2004 00:54
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quote:Kruller came out of the closet to say: Good twists are the ones which are foreshadowed well... just changing things up at the end isn't necessarily brilliant/hard-to-do
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May 4, 2004 00:58
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: If you see it coming, it's not much of a twist, now is it? A true good twist is one that can be believed. You're saying its a deus ex machina, a lovely cop out. The movie is built around the reveal. The title even refers to it. No one really suspected Verbal Kint. He's a cripple, he's a pussy, and he's always a second string crook. The movie is about people's perceptions of truth, and how they will believe what they want to believe. Kujan believed that Dean Keaton was Soze, because he was the only person he could imagine being able to pull it off. He was blinded by his bias, and he missed the truth staring him in the face. There was no changing up at the end. All it did was show itself for what it really was.
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May 4, 2004 05:03
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: Go to the trivia page for this film on imdb.com. There is a list of spoilers which show how well this movie was foreshadowed. One of my all time favorites. One of the top two movie endings (along with Shawshank).
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May 4, 2004 06:37
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quote:Oxilite came out of the closet to say: I don't think he invented the stuff about Keyser's appearance. He just talked of Keyser Soze from the perspective of a small-time hood who only knows of Keyser through legend. The character of Keyser wasn't built up simply by Verbal, I get the impression it's been around forever. As far as the lawyer goes, why would they use the same actor if it wasn't supposed to be the same character? I think it's fair to assume they're the same person, and Verbal just changed the name. Edit: Also, reading that IMDB trivia page reminded me of this. Verbal holds his cigarettes throughout the movie with his thumb and forefinger, suggesting some sort of Eastern heritage. Perhaps he's just good at hiding the fact that he's foreign? Everything else is just an act, so who knows how he acts when he's out of the Verbal character. velocityJE fucked around with this message at 07:09 on May 4, 2004 |
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May 4, 2004 06:57
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I actually agree with Oxilite so far as you can't really trust anything that Verbal said in his conversation with Kujan. As far as I'm concerned, the whole thing could have been made up. However, I don't feel ripped off by Hollywood, nor do I feel that it was some big deus ex machina; the whole movie was about the story that Verbal was telling, and the twist at the end where we find out the truth is meant to change our perspective on that story. You get a real different feel from the movie every time you watch it. The first time, you're caught up in the story and probably not expecting anything. The second time, you're ready for it and you're looking for the clues, and after that you're just looking for more and noticing all the subtleties, and there really are a lot. The point is, some people prefer the kinds of movies where everything is out there and handed to you in a linear fashion, and some prefer movies where you have to think and deduce and just when you think you've got it, they throw a huge slider at you. I'd be interested in seeing Oxilite's perspective on something like Memento, or Mulholland Drive. Personally, I watched this movie once and bought the DVD. I watched it again yesterday. It's one of my favorites. I voted it a 5.
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May 4, 2004 07:27
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The best part is where Kujan is telling Verbal that he's stupid. Kujan is telling him how Keaton had used him and that Verbal doesn't see this because Verbal is stupid and Kujan is smart. "Because I'm not a rat, Agent Kujan!" Brilliant movie. I've given 1 5.5 out to Shawshank Redemption, this deserves the second.
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May 4, 2004 17:09
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 06:11 |
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*edit* Way too many plot points have been given out, if this thread is supposed to be for recommending the movie to someone who hasn't already seen it. (I'm still trying to get the hang of this forum, too) Oxilite: would you recommend the movie? Even if you think the ending's a letdown, just the line-up scene alone IMO is worth the price of a rental. Best crime thriller, dialog, and twist since The Maltese Falcon. And Chinatown is another good twisty crime thriller, but without the 'ensemble cast' that makes TUS so good. The writer of TUS teamed up again with Benicio del Toro in Way of the Gun. More violence, less subtlety, but if you liked TUS, it's worth a rental. I hope I'm not out of line with that, but 1. this thread's already gone beyond the scope of this forum, and 2. I mean, come on, who hasn't already seen TUS. Binary Logic fucked around with this message at 20:07 on May 4, 2004 |
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May 4, 2004 18:46
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