Konnichiwa!
How is everyone this fine night?
Why do I ask questions to which i'll never know the answers?
anyway, Welcome back everyone, I'm here, on my couch. having just finished the 1995 film, Usual Suspects. Now I know what you're thinking. "how are you only watching it now?" well I've always meant to watch it, and I have the DVD, but somehow it just always falls through the cracks. not this time!
I've known the twist ending for a very long time. And I assume a lot of you out there do as well, but for those of you out there who don't, Stop Reading...Right now, Go watch this movie, then come back. I wont say it ruined my enjoyment of the movie but I really wish I didn't know the ending. I'd love to see how my reaction to it would be.
Anyway, That should serve as the lovely Spoiler Tag, so without any more hesitation, let's get to the review!
Cons:
I'm starting off with con's this time because there are very few of them. This movie is exceptional in almost every single way.
That being said, the actual story at times was incredibly difficult to follow. Even though I knew the ending, and I found myself critiquing it with that in mind, I had a hard to following the plot. Maybe it's my insomniatic mind being a bit slower than it should be or just me missing a line here or there, I found myself a bit lost at times. It felt like a lot to take in all at once.
Otherwise, I knew who the bad guy was from the start...oh, wait, I already mentioned that.
Pros:
Even though I have an issue with the plot being a bit jumbled, and I'm sure on repeat viewings that'll go away, I absolutely loved the dialogue between the five main actors. They all had rich personalities and ulterior motives, and over the course of the movie I found myself questioning loyalties. Near the end I honestly was thinking Sose was a different person and wondering how this could possibly tie into the ending I know. The script deserved its Oscar, and I applaud Bryan Singer for weaving such a perfect character drama.
From there I have to applaud Kevin Spacey. I've loved Spacey for years, and this performance was just phenomenal. his vulnerability was obvious, yet ultimately it was all just a perfectly played ruse. Knowing the twist I could tell he was guilty at times, but if I was watching it for the first time I'd never guess. Spacey Won an Oscar for this and he damn well deserved it. He stole every scene he was in and I love it.
The rest of the cast do a damn good job in their roles. some of them I've seen in other things and I was amazed that they're the same person. Where did Gus's accent go? and when did Benicio learn English?
The next thing I have to mention is the camera work. The way it pushes in for certain shots did a great job highlighting lines that really wouldn't be too important on the first go, but having known the twist they were all clues as to who was really Kaiser Sose.
The Twist:
So anyone who's seen this movie knows the final twist. Kevin Spacey, the crippled slow mousey guy is actually a criminal mastermind known as Kaiser Sose. The way the movie unfolded was perfect, and throughout the movie there are constant tiny clues leading to this fact. having watched it with the twist in my head I noticed a few of the hints, i noticed the Kobayashi Mug and a couple of the things on the wall, I also noticed the various inconsistencies in the retellings, guns switching hands, rings removing from fingers, Spacey using his left hand a few times.
The movie does a great jb at building the tension and mystery while basically just having someone lie to you for 2 hours, now I'm going to have to rewatch it to get it all but this movie is just a perfect example of a tense character driven drama.
Final Verdict: 93
Amazing writing and acting, but gets a bit jumbled in the middle
So now off to bed, If you're interested in reading more reviews, check out my complete list, Here
How is everyone this fine night?
Why do I ask questions to which i'll never know the answers?
anyway, Welcome back everyone, I'm here, on my couch. having just finished the 1995 film, Usual Suspects. Now I know what you're thinking. "how are you only watching it now?" well I've always meant to watch it, and I have the DVD, but somehow it just always falls through the cracks. not this time!
I've known the twist ending for a very long time. And I assume a lot of you out there do as well, but for those of you out there who don't, Stop Reading...Right now, Go watch this movie, then come back. I wont say it ruined my enjoyment of the movie but I really wish I didn't know the ending. I'd love to see how my reaction to it would be.
Anyway, That should serve as the lovely Spoiler Tag, so without any more hesitation, let's get to the review!
Movie Review: The Usual Suspects
I'm starting off with con's this time because there are very few of them. This movie is exceptional in almost every single way.
That being said, the actual story at times was incredibly difficult to follow. Even though I knew the ending, and I found myself critiquing it with that in mind, I had a hard to following the plot. Maybe it's my insomniatic mind being a bit slower than it should be or just me missing a line here or there, I found myself a bit lost at times. It felt like a lot to take in all at once.
Otherwise, I knew who the bad guy was from the start...oh, wait, I already mentioned that.
Pros:
Even though I have an issue with the plot being a bit jumbled, and I'm sure on repeat viewings that'll go away, I absolutely loved the dialogue between the five main actors. They all had rich personalities and ulterior motives, and over the course of the movie I found myself questioning loyalties. Near the end I honestly was thinking Sose was a different person and wondering how this could possibly tie into the ending I know. The script deserved its Oscar, and I applaud Bryan Singer for weaving such a perfect character drama.
From there I have to applaud Kevin Spacey. I've loved Spacey for years, and this performance was just phenomenal. his vulnerability was obvious, yet ultimately it was all just a perfectly played ruse. Knowing the twist I could tell he was guilty at times, but if I was watching it for the first time I'd never guess. Spacey Won an Oscar for this and he damn well deserved it. He stole every scene he was in and I love it.
The rest of the cast do a damn good job in their roles. some of them I've seen in other things and I was amazed that they're the same person. Where did Gus's accent go? and when did Benicio learn English?
The next thing I have to mention is the camera work. The way it pushes in for certain shots did a great job highlighting lines that really wouldn't be too important on the first go, but having known the twist they were all clues as to who was really Kaiser Sose.
The Twist:
So anyone who's seen this movie knows the final twist. Kevin Spacey, the crippled slow mousey guy is actually a criminal mastermind known as Kaiser Sose. The way the movie unfolded was perfect, and throughout the movie there are constant tiny clues leading to this fact. having watched it with the twist in my head I noticed a few of the hints, i noticed the Kobayashi Mug and a couple of the things on the wall, I also noticed the various inconsistencies in the retellings, guns switching hands, rings removing from fingers, Spacey using his left hand a few times.
The movie does a great jb at building the tension and mystery while basically just having someone lie to you for 2 hours, now I'm going to have to rewatch it to get it all but this movie is just a perfect example of a tense character driven drama.
Final Verdict: 93
Amazing writing and acting, but gets a bit jumbled in the middle
So now off to bed, If you're interested in reading more reviews, check out my complete list, Here
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