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The Usual Suspects - Special Edition

Confusion remains the common denominator in "The Usual Suspects," in which director Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie are determined to create a fresh and inviting thriller, but come up empty. The star-studded cast is a delight to watch, but the film is so fixated on its own cleverness and originality that it quickly loses interest, deadening the impact of a surprise twist ending that may have worked had it had a better lead-up. ***

Perhaps what makes the film so cumbersome is its shift from past to present, and vice-versa. Beginning with an explosion aboard a ship on which a shootout has just occurred, the movie then shifts back six weeks to the arrest of five men, all accused of stealing a van full of weaponry. Four of the men, Michael McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Fred Fenster (Benicio del Toro), Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollack), and Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), concoct a plan of revenge against the NYPD, and the hesitant Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) joins in. ***

After a deluge of plot twists and scenarios that seem completely out of place, the group finds themselves on the West Coast, at the mercy of a well-known man by the name of Keyser Soze, whose lawyer gives each of them a file documentation of their lives as watched by Soze. The motive: each of them has wronged Soze at some point in the past, and their chance for repentance comes with the raid on a cocaine deal set to go down in three days. ***

All of this is narrated and seen in the mind of Kint, played with a fiendish glee by Kevin Spacey, who turns in a well-rounded performance. The rest of the cast also leave lasting impressions: Stephen Baldwin makes a great all-around bad boy, Benicio del Toro is increasingly witty, Kevin Pollack is the ideal picture of gruff and uneasy, and Gabriel Byrne instills in his character a growing sense of unease. ***

But their talents are ultimately cast into a lost cause. "The Usual Suspects" manipulates its viewers to the end, taking us where only it wants to go, leaving no room for speculation or thought on the events at hand. It does this by throwing so much at the audience at once that the fear of missing out on something intrical to the overall plot becomes unbearable. In trying to think about what was going on, and watching each scene with full concentration, I almost went mad. ***

In effect, the ending to Christopher McQuarrie's screenplay has little impact. You will be surprised at the movie's final turn of events, but the material prior to it lacks enough interest or even coherence to give the twist any logical sense. To me, the ending seems more like a blind leap towards greatness than a satisfying payoff to the film's convoluted script. ***

Many will disagree with my thoughts on "The Usual Suspects," and some may even recommend watching it twice to understand the film's twists. I did, and came up short both times. Aspirations of greatness are evident throughout the plot, but they amount to little more than just aspirations. As much as I wanted to understand the central story, I can't forgive a film that throws so much into the pot that the soup is too thick to thin out again. --

The disc kicks off with a new collection of featurettes, beginning with "Pursuing the Suspects," which features interviews with Singer and cast members Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollack, Daniel Baldwin, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, and the Oscar-winning Kevin Spacey. Each of the actors recalls their first approach to the material, Byrne discussing his initial hesitation to get involved, Spacey his surprise when he discovered that the role of Verbal Kint was written with him in mind for the part. Singer also discusses his thoughts on the cast, and how he came to choose the ones who finally came to be the Usual Suspects. ***

This is followed by "Doing Time with the Suspects," which covers the production, post-production, and reflection on the amount of attention the film received after its release. All of the actors and crew return for this featurette, as well as editor/composer John Ottman. All of the interviews recall the joys of working with one another, the tight schedule that seemed to have no effect on the work output, and all the positive press the film garnered. If you will take note, however, in the opening montage of interviews that begins "Pursuing the Suspects," there is a snippet of discussion from Pollack in which he talks about Siskel and Ebert both giving the film a thumbs down. So why not include this in the interview? Why focus completely on the positive? ***

"Keyser Soze - Lie or Legend" dives further into "Usual Suspects" hardcore fanatic territory, as it discusses the character, the mystery that surrounds him throughout the piece (come on, like you never knew it was who it ends up being to begin with), and how this character affects the lives of each person in the material. Then we have "Heisting Cannes with The Usual Suspects," which is yet another puff piece holding the movie up on a golden pedestal as it showcases the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. ***

The deleted scenes should do well with their target audience (the more I see of the film, the more I can't stand it), and the original featurette and promotional material should give plenty of viewers a chance to wax sentimental. And be sure to start hunting for those Easter Eggs, too: at least the puzzle you must solve to get to them is entertaining. --