Usual suspectsthe great crime (and lying) film of the 90s
Shot in a month and with a budget of 6 million, the young director Bryan Singer probably didn’t imagine that his second feature film, Usual suspects, it would be a real success. Released in 1995, this crime film begins with a massacre employed on a merchant ship in the port of San Pedro. There are two survivors of what appears to be a terrible showdown or deal gone awry, including crippled little thief Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey). The latter, questioned by agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri), will then recount the complex sequence of events that led to this situation.
Usual suspects it is a cult film, of worldwide popularity, because it pushed the narrative principle of to the extreme and made it popular in cinema final twist, the extraordinary “twist” whose revelation traps the viewer in its trap and makes his brain spin. In this film, written by Christopher McQuarrie, a great villain quickly appears: Keyser Soze. A mythical, elusive bloodthirsty criminal, an urban legend for some, but a very real individual for others, and who would be responsible for the whole affair.
Does this Keyser Söze really exist? Could he be one of the four men Verbal Kint was associated with? Could it be especially his friend Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne)? This is what agent Dave Kujan ends up believing, in light of the story and confessions of Verbal Kint, who thus frees the cripple. Before the revelation comes, in a dizzying realization: the whole story the detective has just heard is just one lie…
An Oscar-winning screenplay and actor
Presented out of competition at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, Usual suspects has received a great reception and already its script and casting performances are acclaimed. At the 1996 Oscars, Christopher McQuarrie received the awardOscar for best original screenplay and Kevin Spacey Oscar for best supporting actor. For the latter, his deliciously ambiguous and vicious interpretation will establish the psychological register in which the actor can then flourish. It should also be noted that Kevin Spacey is also in the casting Sevenanother great “twist” film also released in 1995.
Self Usual suspects manages particularly well to reveal the truth, it is thanks to Christopher McQuarrie and Bryan Singer who maintain the spectator’s confusion thanks to a non-linear and unreliable narrativeHow long both the camera and the narrator – Verbal Kint – lie. Every story, in fact, tacitly stipulates a contract with its reader or viewer that what is presented to him is reality, that the events that unfold are true, or at least must be thought of as such. In this case, it is precisely this rule of reliabilityUsual Suspicions breaks free, to build breathtaking suspense and a final revelation the sensation of which has very rarely been equaled.
A peak of manipulation
Applying to cinema a principle of narration developed until then mainly in literature – Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa had already represented it on the screen in 1952 – the screenwriter and director therefore entrust the narrative point of view of their film and therefore its truthfulness to the antagonist and the liar of their history. The exercise is a success, made easier by the fact that Kevin Spacey embodies a character who has nothing attractive about him: crippled, mentally weak, humiliated, he plays with Dave Kujan as the director plays with the spectator, the gaze moves naturally more towards the charismatic Dean Keaton or the mad dog Michael McManus (Stephen Baldwin). The end ofUsual suspects (under) it is therefore one of the most surprising and satisfying sequences in cinema.
With a worldwide box office of $67 million recipes, nominations and cascading awards, Usual suspects is now considered one of the greatest crime films and was ranked in 2008 by the American Film Institute 10th best”mysterious film“of the history of cinema.
Source: Cine Serie
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