The Usual Suspects
Published December 10, 2010

Film info
- Title The Usual Suspects
- Director Bryan Singer
- Year 1995
- Run time 1hr 46m
- Genres Drama, Crime, Thriller
- Tagline Five criminals, one line up, no coincidence
A gruesome scene is left at a pier in San Pedro, south of Los Angeles. Twenty-seven dead bodies. A burned-out ship smoldering in the harbor. An FBI agent assesses the carnage and learns of two survivors: one in the hospital, the other a cripple from New York being held in the DA's office. He heads to the hospital in search of answers.
Live Blog
Time | Comment |
---|---|
6:06 | These must be the usual suspects. |
9:25 | It’s all about where you put the emphasis. |
10:08 | There’s always one crazy one - or have I just watched The A-Team? |
14:43 | I get that a lot too. People being sarcastic and saying I’m so noisy when I haven’t said a word. |
15:46 | That’s a very strange Irish accent. Comes and goes. |
20:49 | It’s funny to see someone smoking in a hospital, let alone be told he can’t go into the burns unit with a cigarette. |
21:53 | Also, he’s allowed to use a mobile phone too! |
23:12 | This guy actually does talk too much. I suppose perhaps I do too sometimes. |
25:49 | I don’t like coffee, but I bet it is good right off the trees. |
28:30 | I hope that woman isn’t going to get in the way. |
30:10 | It’s nice to see someone get punched and be in proper pain about it. |
34:40 | All you need to take down the police is three vans and some stocking over your head. |
39:59 | Bit confused about the Keaton being dead for two years bit. |
41:45 | Ah, they explained it. You just gotta be patient. |
42:53 | Kobayashi! |
44:24 | What do I recognise that guy from? (lots of things) |
46:12 | It only takes one day of nagging to get Mr C to do stuff too. |
47:46 | That is a goood shot. He’s like a modern day Robin Hood. Erm, in shooting terms, anyway. Not in doing good for the poor and stuff. |
53:49 | There are a lot of weirdo accents in this film. |
55:17 | “One cannot be betrayed if one has no people.” |
58:15 | They know everything about them. It’s like LOST. |
1:04:20 | They need to use him as bait then. |
1:05:23 | I’m slightly glad that he’s out the picture, as I couldn’t understand a word he said. |
1:11:34 | He can walk pretty fast for someone with a borked leg. |
1:12:58 | I knew the woman would get in the way, they always do. |
1:19:53 | That’s quite the explosion. |
1:28:22 | Is that guy important? Why were they keeping him locked away? |
1:32:25 | That’s an even bigger explosion! |
1:35:11 | That seems like a lot of fuss to kill one man. |
1:42:12 | Ooh, I love the twist, but my previous note still stands. Lot of fuss for one guy, and he still left someone who recognises him alive after all that. |
Thoughts
This is one of those films that people recommended, and I know a lot of people have enjoyed. It always concerns me a little when I watch these films now, because if I don’t like it, I tend to disappoint a lot of people. I’d only ever seen the line-up clip on countdown shows and the like, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
It wasn’t scary in the end because it was good! Phew. I can’t say I liked all of the characters, and there were a few of them I could barely understand anyways, but Kevin Spacey was excellent as per usual. The story was good and fascinating, but as you might have gathered from above, I was slightly bemused by the ending. The twist and then double twist was excellent, but after that it didn’t quite add up. Nevertheless, it was good stuff.
Rating: 4 / 5