The Usual Suspects – Review

Any movie fanatic will already know this absolute gem of a movie, however for anyone in younger generations, go back in time and check this masterclass of a crime saga which is The Usual Suspects. Somehow this movie is 30 years old...

The tale opens with a New York police lineup of the usual felons and local hoods. A witness heard a voice at the scene, and the coppers are trying to uncover whomever ripped off a truck of goods, so they rustled up some suspects. After the witness lineup concludes, the criminals are stuffed into a cell.

From here, the five hoodlums Keaton (Byrne), Kent (Spacey), Hockney (Pollak), McManus (Baldwin) and Fenster (Del Toro) start to talk, and realize they have a lot in common. Not only do they do similar work for similar underground people, but they feel slighted by the Five-O for ruffling them up with their fugazi lineup, as clearly none of these men are guilty of any truck hijacking.

The five men kick off a scheme to pay the police back, as well as look for other criminal job opportunities which may line their pockets. As the group continues to operate, it becomes clear that there is more going on than meets the eye, and there are additional parties looking to control events.

This layered film is told via multiple stories and flashbacks in order to flesh out the entire story and put pieces of an overlying mystery together. It is a masterclass of both writing and acting, with extreme attention to detail and meticulous direction. It absolutely should not be missed for anyone that likes crime movies, mysteries, or stellar writing. Plus, there is instant rewatch value for first time viewers.

The most amazing fact about this movie is that in 7^th grade for my math class first day introductions I told my teacher my 3 favorite movies were The Usual Suspects, 12 Monkeys and Raiders of the Lost Ark and he looked right at me and flatly said “Okay” and then moved on to the next person.