The Usual Suspects [Blu-ray]

This purchase was made to take the place of a VHS from our collection. It's a great movie with well-defined characters and a surprise ending. The DVD version illustrates those characteristics.

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen “The Usual Suspects” since 1995. First time in a theater, then from the video rental store, then seeing it in bits and pieces on TV. And now, in a “what the heck” mood, on Amazon. Still works for me. A great thriller with some excellent performances, and even thoroughly spoiled, the big reveal at the end is still a delight.Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, a Lesser Baldwin, Chazz Palminteri, and hey, there’s a really young Gus Fring! And in any movie, when Pete Postlethwaite shows up, you have to settle in and enjoy him. Even in the otherwise leaden and cheerless “Inception”. He’s a joy to watch, especially here doing a sort of strangled middle-European/Far East accent.It’s a brilliant cast. But above the rest in a bravura performance, Kevin Spacey.Sure, we all know by now that he’s a creep, but wow, can that creep act! If I had to choose between “Se7en” and this one, I’d have to give the “Suspects” top billing. Spacey is on screen in almost every scene, while in “Se7en” he’s a shadowy menace for most of the movie. Sly, funny, glib, toying with the cops, he’s really something to watch.You almost need to watch “The Usual Suspects” a second time just to get straight what our unreliable narrator is telling us, and to guess how much is total invention. And a third time to appreciate what actors like Benicio Del Toro and Kevin Pollack do with their few lines. And maybe the fourth time to admire Bryan Singer’s framing and pacing. There’s hardly a wasted second in this compact thriller, a trait I’ve come to admire more and more compared to the bloated running times and shameless padding even routine shoot-em-ups now indulge in. No mawkish sentimentality, minimal character development, just enough voice-over to keep things moving at a good clip. Singer went on to make some of those bloated running times, but on this one, his production was sleek, compact, as close to perfect as a movie needs to get.Plot holes? Well, for a gang of ruthless dangerous gangsters, those Hungarians sure were oblivious and easy to mow down. And if you’ve ever been on a largish freighter, you will be amazed at the maze of compartments and spaces and places to hide contraband. Byrne and company could have searched for a day and not found the prize. And I’m doubtful if even Keyser Soze could really interrupt the flow of flame along the fuse by a remarkably accurate micturition.But who cares? The plot is a device of precisely machined interlocking parts that shouldn’t be too closely scrutinized lest we lose the pleasure of its working. “The Usual Suspects” is a fine bloody valentine to the art of filmmaking.If this is your first time to watch it, I sort of envy you the pleasure of watching it unfold, especially now that it’s old enough that younger people might be un-spoiled. If it’s the second or fifth time, it’s still a good way to waste a brisk 1 ¾. And if you’re ever picking coffee beans in Guatemala, know that you can’t really make coffee from green beans. They have to be fermented, then roasted. Agent Kujan should’ve known that, even if he’d never been to Skokie, Illinois.

When Usual Suspects came out in 1995 it blew people’s minds because of the twist writer Bryant Singer who also co-produced the film threw in at the end. It was one of those stories that people would talk about and discuss days afterward.First of all, the film had what was then still a unique means to relay the story that started with the end, an explosion on a boat, and then used a series of flashbacks to tell what happened. The story as told by Verbal (Kevin Spacey) one of the survivors revolves around how he and four other criminals, Gabriel Byrne as Dean, Stephen Baldwin as Michael, Benicio del Toro as Fred, and Kevin Pollack as Todd, tried to pull a job for a mysterious man named Keyser Soze. The story has a good mix of crime, gunplay and intrigue. Everything builds up to the boat blowing up and then you question everything you just heard. That’s the strength of the story.If you like action-crime-thrillers with an unexpected ending Usual Suspects is for you.C

The first time, you're a little confused as to what in the world is going on here. The second time, you're able to enjoy just how great this movie really is and you slowly start to see more and more clues as to who is really Keyser Soze. It's really good the first time you see it, but it gets greater and greater each time you see it

Kevin Spacey is incredible. He's never been charged with any wrong doing. I'd love to see him act again.

The plot and the acting in this DVD are terrific. The characters are well developed and the story fast paced and entertaining. While there are some sidebars in this film that might have been better developed or left out, the overall flow and message is steady and compelling for the viewer. Highly recommended.

I found out about this movie in an indirect way, and unfortunately that involved hearing a major spoiler, before I knew anything else about it. When I actually watched it for the first time, I had that spoiler in mind, and it colored the way that I saw everything. It's a shame that I couldn't have seen it once without that knowledge, to see if I would have figured it out for myself, and how soon.But the point is that the spoiler did not ruin the movie, which is about more than just a solution to a mystery. The key is the great acting, by everyone involved. Kevin Spacey, certainly, as the mild mannered "gimp" of a con-man, turns in one of his best performances. But everyone is excellent, Gabriel Byrne as the corrupt ex-cop, the whole gang which he has collected, and Chazz Palminteri as the detective who keeps on probing, knowing that there is some key fact almost within reach.And that means that I can watch this and enjoy it more than once. It's true that, as with most movies, on watching it again, there are logical questions about the plot which you can't put out of your mind, but which don't necessarily have good answers. The resolution, although clever, may not work quite the way it's meant to. But then, few if any films are perfect in that respect. Take this for what it is, and it's very enjoyable. And if you recommend it to someone who hasn't seen it, do not tell them, well, you know.

It's a gotcha film, but it is superb.

One of my favourite films. I originally had the Region 1 DVD but it's too much of a faff to keep changing the region, so when I saw this advertised for less than £3 it was a no-brainer.The film is just as good as I remembered, Kevin Spacey is brilliant (deserved Oscar winner), but the whole ensemble cast is good. There are more plot twists than a politician's promises and the even though I knew the reveal it was still good to watch.A note about the discs themselves and the supplier (ReNew Entertainment) . This was listed as "New" but clearly wasn't: there were fingermarks and scratches on the playing surface. It played perfectly though, so for less than £3 I wasn't going to complain. I mentioned this in my supplier review and Declan at ReNew immediately refunded me the purchase price even though I hadn't asked and also offered me a free item as a goodwill gesture. You can't fault Customer Service like that and I would happily buy from ReNew again.

Brilliant modern "film noir", with a superb cast from an original screenplay. Won't give the plot away,min case you haven't seen it, but enough to say it is a convoluted, but gripping tale of 5 criminals brought together to do a job by a mythical underworld figure, keyser soze ("Ky-zerr So-say") and told retrospectively by an "unreliable narrator" (Kevin Spacey). Great main cast, who work superbly together as an ensemble. Highly recommended. Honestly. Watch it.(Also an added bonus for nerds, like me, who have watched it MANY times, it's interesting to watch and pick out which bits of the story you can be sure are "true" and which parts may not be!)In addition to the film itself, Disc 1 carries 2 audio commentaries. The first with John Ottman and the second with Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie.Disc 2 contains;1. Pursuing the usual suspects (23 mins)2. Doin' time with the usual suspects (26 mins)Behind the scenes interviews with the director and all the cast3. " Keyser soze: lie or legend" featurette (18mins)Focus on keyser soze. Includes interview with Spacey.4. Introducing the usual suspects: featurette (6 mins)Extended trailer for movie5. Heisting Cannes with the usual suspects: featurette (4 mins)footage of showing at Canne film festival6. Bryan Singer's "gag reel" (5 mins)Out-takes and a few inside gags

Slow burning and it must be said a very much wordy drama / thriller interlaced with sudden bursts of action---- stick with it and the reward comes in the last scene, and I wouldn't say that unless I felt it was very worthwhile.Spacey and Byrne steal the acting honours but not by much as the total cast are splendid from the off.I had to watch this twice to fully appreciate the complicated , clever plot and the 2nd viewing made a lot more sense and was totally rewarding. It's that type of film that needs your patience.

Well acted, well edited, and a great story, plus an excellent soundtrack from the editor!

Just as you think you know what's going on, the plot thickens then twists at the end. Gabe Byrnes is just one of the many brilliant actors in this film which was thoroughly enjoyable. This is a classic.