THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995)

The Usual Suspects (1995)
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Dan Hedaya, Gabriel Byrne, Giancarlo Esposito, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey, Pete Postlethwaite, Stephen Baldwin, Suzy Amis

THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995)
Directed by Bryan Singer
On Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-Ray from Arrow Video

27 men are found dead at the docks with only two survivors. One of them, Verbal Kint, is given immunity in exchange for information, but two hours prior to his release he is questioned by Detective Kujan who is convinced that one of the victims isn’t really dead at all.

Pressured into talking by Kujan, who threatens to spread nasty rumours to known gangsters about Verbal if he doesn’t play ball, Kint describes events leading up to the mass shootout and explosion at the docks, starting six weeks earlier…

Five criminals – thieves Fred Fenster and Michael McManus, explosives expert Todd Hockney, crooked ex-cop Dean Keaton, and conman Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint – are pulled in for a police lineup after a lorry’s gun shipment is hijacked. Annoyed that they’ve been fingered for the crime, they decide to make it worth their while and stick two fingers up at the cops by working together on a job exposing bent cops on the take. After a successful heist, the five continue working together but things start to backfire when a job they’re given by an associate goes sour. Things go from bad to worse when they’re assigned a job by a ruthless, mysterious crime lord named Keyser Soze, via his lawyer Kobayashi. Discovering that they have each ripped off Soze without realising it in past crimes, they have no option to do a job for him as payback. With 91 million dollars about to be exchanged for a shipment of cocaine by a drug rival of Soze’s on a ship at the docks, the crew are ordered to bust the drugs deal and destroy the cocaine shipment, with the money that was part of the exchange theirs to keep. With such a heavily-armed presence at the docks, the likelihood of them all walking away with their lives is slim, but they’re not left with much choice knowing what happens if they don’t complete the task. But who exactly is the boogeyman hiding in the shadows and just what has he got planned?

The Usual Suspects, a multi award-winning, neo-noir thriller penned by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer, made waves upon its release in 1995 and still, to this day, is an example of movie-making prowess.

A talented cast of performers make up the suspects themselves, with Gabriel Byrne as Keaton, the crooked cop trying to turn straight being the obvious lynchpin out of the crew. Stephen Baldwin and Benicio del Toro are the colourful characters of the group, with Baldwin as the excitable, hot-headed McManus, spitting witty remarks whilst dazzling with his baby blues, whilst del Toro garbles his speech looking like someone straight out of Saturday Night Fever as Fenster. Kevin Pollak’s mechanic Hockney and Kevin Spacey’s Verbal Kint, who suffers with disabilities on one side of his body from cerebral palsy, complete the lineup of the unlikely bunch, each bringing their own experience to the table.

Knowing what happens at the end (the deaths of the everyone at the docks except for Verbal and the Hungarian) makes the subsequent flashbacks to the lead-up that more thrilling as Verbal recounts the initial meeting of the ‘suspects’ and how they ended up at the docks. On the surface, it just looks like a job that backfired but halfway through the story, we’re introduced to a character that may or may not be real, but one that has a real stranglehold on the criminal underworld: Keyser Soze. Such is Soze’s power and influence that most don’t even know they’re working for him, and next to nobody knows the identity of Keyser Soze thanks to lawyer Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite) often communicating on his behalf. Rumour has it Soze’s a Turkish man who killed his own family, who were being held at knifepoint by Hungarian rivals, before slaughtering the Hungarian gangs responsible and everyone they held dear. Suddenly, the end job is less of a crime of greed for the ‘Usual Suspects’ but one out of coercion through fear of their own lives, and with that brings even more questions.

Throughout the film, we have numerous law enforcement agents trying to piece things together. Agent Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) is dead set on Keaton being the brains behind the operation as Keaton was the criminal that slipped through his fingers years previously that he failed to get convicted. FBI Agent Jack Baer (Giancarlo Esposito) is busy collecting statements from a Hungarian criminal, the other survivor from the dock shootout, who’s laying in hospital bed suffering from burns. When the Hungarian survivor mentions the name Keyser Soze, this brings new light to the incident, which Kujan uses to pressure Kint into revealing who Soze is and their connection with him. Realising this is more than just a shootout between three parties (Hungarians, Argentinians and the usual suspects), Kujan and Baer discover that there’s an even bigger fish to fry – one who has powerful friends in high places. A crime lord like no other that even has other criminals quaking in their boots.

The Usual Suspects is such a thrilling piece of cinema for many reasons. It delivers action and excitement through the crimes perpetrated by our lead characters but it’s the dialogue and storytelling of how these guys get caught up in something so much bigger than themselves, something which they cannot escape, which really sets the pulse racing. The trouble they encounter isn’t likely to go away which brings a tangible danger to present day, post dock shootout. Playing with the identity of Keyser Soze and the presence of this enigmatic entity purely through the art of performance and camera setups keeps the viewer guessing as much as the characters themselves. The story is orchestrated in such a way it envelops everything it touches, sucking the viewer in to almost experience it first-hand. At least it feels that way. The way the camera stalks and creeps in a cloak-and-dagger way, the lighting used with purpose and effect to illuminate what it wants you to see.

The real cherry on the top of this movie is the iconic ending which left my jaw gaping on first watch of this movie decades ago. It’s one of those films you simply have to watch again as a result. Such was the impact it had on me, it firmly became a favourite of mine, one I’ve watched numerous times over the years though it’s been at least 15 years since I last saw it prior to watching the 4K restoration for this review. Safe to say, it’s not lost any of its charm though it’s more than likely that anyone watching it for the first time now may well have had the ending spoiled for them, such is the hazard of watching a film that’s 30 years old. Nevertheless, it’s an important part of cinema and one of the movies that made the 90’s such an outstanding decade for film.

An enthralling crime thriller that manipulates the viewer as much as the characters themselves.

Rating:

The Usual Suspects comes to 4K UHD and Blu-Ray from Arrow Video in a limited edition release, complete with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket, Collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Barry Forshaw, and a double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket.

The disc release features a 4K restoration from the original negative approved by cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel with 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) or High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation, depending on whether you opt for 4K UHD or Blu-Ray. Both include Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 as well as optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing new in terms of special features unlike the majority of the releases from Arrow Video. Most of the extras on The Usual Suspects disc can be found on the special edition DVD so if you’re looking to upgrade to the Blu-Ray or UHD copy, you’ll just be benefiting from the 4k restoration of the movie and the physical extras. The only featurette that doesn’t appear to be on the special edition DVD is The Devil in the Details, though this is an archival interview.

Special Features

• Audio commentary with director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie
• Audio commentary with editor and composer John Ottman
• The Devil in the Details, an archival interview with Newton Thomas Sigel
• Archival interview with John Ottman
• Round Up: Deposing the Usual Suspects, a two-part featurette delving into the creation and production of The Usual Suspects with exclusive clips, interviews with key figures, and raw footage from the making of the film
• Keyser Söze (Lie or Legend?), an archival featurette
• Heisting Cannes with The Usual Suspects, archival footage from the film’s world premiere at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival
• Introducing The Usual Suspects, an original EPK featurette
• Deleted scenes with introduction by John Ottman
• Gag reel
• Interview outtakes with Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollak, Benicio del Toro, and Bryan Singer
• International trailer
• U.S. trailer with introduction by John Ottman
• TV spots