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The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: don't sleep on this movie!!!!....a master piece
Review: I saw this movie once and it has become my favorite movies, This DVD is a must to have in your collection. Bryan singer was brilliant and the actors in the film were astounding!..WITH A TWIST!, AND A TWIST, AND A TWIST!!..WITH A WHOPPER OF AN ENDING!...need I say more!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My love for Kevin Spacey starts here
Review: I bought this dvd based on suggestions from some friends...I didn't realize how much I was gonna love it until I watched it the 2nd & 3rd time{by which I used the 2 commentaries available} I still feel the need to rediscover stuff I never noticed & even rewatch the other special features. This is a definate keeper.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Haiku Review
Review: Ensemble cast has
Fun with twisted tale of crime.
Keyser Soze lives!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic Movie, but the extras are lacking
Review: If you love this movie like I do you'd probably want to see a whole lot of cool extras and scenes that they took out of the movie. Well, the movie still rocks, but the extras are lacking. The deleted scenes are alright, but you can see why they were pulled out of the movie. If you're just looking at this for the movie itself, go for it. This is easily one of my favorite movies. Kevin Spacey is fantastic and everyone else adds a unique humor to an otherwise serious movie. So buy it for the movie, not the extras.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Anybody Can Tell You A Bunch Of Bull For Two Hours
Review: I used to love this movie. The film's often mentioned final twist seems so devilishly clever the first time you see it. Then you think about it for a while and you realize how this formulaic whodunit never gave you a chance.

The entire allure of mystery stories for the viewer is to of course try figure them out before the story itself reveals the truth. As a writer, the trick is to present all the evidence to the viewer in a passing, seemingly inconsequential fashion usually out of order and with twists that throw him or her off and then tie everything up at the finish. The tease is that everything or at least enough information is presented before you find out the truth. This film does not do that. Basically, this film lies to you for two hours and pretends to pull the rabbit out of the hat at the end as if you had been standing in the same room in which the trick was performed. Instead of clarifying, the final scene raises more questions than it answers assuming the only question you care about is the idenity of Soze.

As infuriating as this is, the characters are somewhat fun to watch. All five usual suspects are characters that have appeared in dozens of streetwise mysteries before but their interaction with one another is appealing. Del Toro has some great lines as Fenster, ("He'll flip ya, flip ya fo' real" is a fav of mine) and most of the perforances are well done. Spacey is of course great and this is my favorite role for Chazz P since A Bronx Tale. Otherwise, this is a movie that revisits used themes like the internal conflict between good and evil and the mythology of criminal underworlds and since everything is a lie the questions your left with devalue the one truth revealed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Unusually Great Movie
Review: Before the dime drops (or should I say the cup of coffee) at the end of the film, I felt that I had already seen a great movie. And then we find out the significance of the name of the manufacturer of bulletin boards. By the time the last word of the film was spoken, my jaw dropped in amazement. This is an extraordinary film. A film that asks the old question: How can we be sure about the truth of anything? Are things true because we simply believe the teller, who might be a consummate liar? Or do we believe the teller because he tells us what we want to hear?

I'm going to stop there because this is not an artsy, philosophical film. This is a suspenseful, action-packed, and strangely-funny movie that has as a PLOT DEVICE our susceptibility to believe what we want to belive--it is not the THEME of the movie. And what a plot device! I can't say any more without giving the story away.

So I'll go on to the performances. Yes, Kevin Spacey is great, and all that Academy Award worthiness stuff. But the other actors were overlooked, at least by the critics. Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri and Stephen Baldwin all do a great job, but Benicio Del Toro's role as Fenster is nothing less than a tour de force! Pete Postlethwaite turns in his standard excellence. Rouding out the cast are the always surprising Dan Hedaya and Giancarlo Esposito--two actors that I think deserve better recognition than they've gotten so far.

Behind it all is an unbelieveably tight script and Bryan Singer's masterful direction. This is a must see movie for lovers of crime, action, mystery films, and a must see for anyone who enjoys the type of rare film that is well-acted, well-written, and well-directed, which is something that is not usual for movies today.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Greatest Trick The Devil Ever Pulled...
Review: I'm not going to explain the plot or anything like that, I'm just going to tell you to GO SEE THIS MOVIE! The ending(as well as the rest of the movie) is INSANE!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: And like that...he's gone
Review: The Usual Suspects is a very effective movie for several reasons. One lesser reason the film is good is the surprise ending, which is a shocker and comes at you from out of nowhere. However, I don't think the movie depends completely on the ending; it works regardless. In fact, I don't think the ending is all that great, for reasons I will mention later.

The story centers around a supposed drug bust gone bad. Roughly 90 million dollars worth of narcotics were on a ship and a group of notorious criminals were assembled to get the money. The very beginning of the film shows that things got out of hand and the boat actually exploded, with practically all people in the vicinity being killed.

The criminals were chosen by a character named Keyser Sose (so-say) who is so renowned for his criminal actions that the mere mention of his name brings panic and fear. We see a flashback of his cold blooded nature: when thieves took over his house and threatened his family, he walked in calmly, shot his family first, and then shot the bad guys. The implication is that he will kill instantly and without remorse. He is almost mythical, no one has ever seen him and lived to tell it, and some don't even believe in his existence. All five criminals (played by Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollack, Kevin Spacey, Benicio del Torro, and Stephen Baldwin) have done something to hurt Sose in the past, and so this is their chance to redeem themselves. The cast is great, all bring the proper amount of intensity to their roles.

After the explosion, only Verbal (Spacey) is left. He is brought in for questioning, given immunity for his information, and on his way out the door, answers a few more questions for Agent Kujay (Chazz Palminteri), where he talks about the whole situation. We only see what happened through Verbal's eyes. In this way, the movie is like the classic Rashomon or the more recent and much less effective Basic, where we see information through the eyes of one very closely involved. How much of what we see is the truth is the real mystery.

The ending is a surprise, and very well done, but I don't think the movie gave enough clues in order for us as viewers to figure it out. In that sense, it almost cheats a little, because it's easy to fool someone when you don't give them a chance to solve the riddle. Even keeping that in mind, though, this movie is one of the better mystery thrillers I have seen in some time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: superb!
Review: Fenster is the man! this is a stellar cast and the acting is superb.Benicio Del Toro nearly steals the movie away from Kevin Spacey as the inaudibly and hilariously cool Fenster.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Devil Made Them Do It.......
Review: "This review refers to the Special Edition (MGM)DVD of "The Usual Suspects".....

The "Usual Suspects" is one of those rare films that after the first view you just want to call everyone you know and tell them about it. And aren't we lucky to have DVD now and not even have to wait to rewind to watch it again! It's a sleek, stylish mystery/thriller, with a brillant screenplay that will have you hanging on every word of dialouge.The all star cast will have you hypnotized with their powerful performances as well.

Five of New York City's small time hoods, have found themselves involved in what might be the biggest and most dangerous heist of thier lives.They were brought together by,'Keyser Soze', a man many compare to the devil himself. He's a legendary underworld figure who is seen by none but feared by all.There's alot to gain(over 90 million dollars), but more to lose...possibly their lives.To say anymore would be giving too much away and ruining the fun of this film.

The story, told by Roger "Verbal" Kent(one of the suspects), is a chilling one. It is fraught with mystery and suspense that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout, and even adds a bit of comic relief occasionally.It is totally unpredicatable and absolutely intriguing.The Cast is big...It includes Kevin Spacey, who by the way took home an Oscar (Best Supporting) for his brillant work,Gabriel Byrne,Chazz Palminteri,Kevin Pollack, Steven Baldwin, Benicio Del Toro,and Pete Postlethwaite. The musical score(John Ottman) is haunting and the photography fabulous.It is modern film noir at it's finest and a must see for fans of the genre.

This 'Special Edition" DVD will delight fans of this film. It's a beautiful transfer. You have the choice of widescreen or full screen(choose at the beginning of the film),the surround sound is excellent and is in Dolby Dig 5.1. It may also be viewed in French(stereo) and has subtitles in English, French and Spanish. There are so many special features,including featurettes and deleted scenes(see buying info here for complete list), they have a whole side of their own.The film may also be viewed with commentary by Director Bryan Singer or John Ottman.

Is Keyser Soze the devil? Does he really even exsist?..if he does..who is he? You be the judge.
Watching it for the 1st time of the 50th, it will never get old!
Get the popcorn ready and enjoy.....Laurie


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