The Usual Suspects (1995)

In director Bryan Singer's clever, and hip, plot-twisting, film-noirish, mystery heist thriller (with a sharp and smart script by Christopher McQuarrie) - it has continued to be a popular cult favorite. Its major theme of manipulative deception was designed to fool the audience, and to mislead and guide the actions of the cast of characters to do the criminal mastermind's bidding. The film's non-linear, manipulative and dense plot with convoluted twists highlighted a major mystery surrounding the identity of the most-talked about but unseen notorious crime lord character (Keyser Soze) - thus providing an intriguing and dynamic premise.

The taglines relating to the film's untrustworthy plot were:

• "In a world where nothing is what it seems you've got to look beyond...(THE USUAL SUSPECTS)"
• "FIVE CRIMINALS. ONE LINE UP. NO COINCIDENCE."

However, the film was criticized for being gimmicky and contrived due to its "unreliable narrator," and due to the fact that most of the flashback provided in the police office was fabricated. The suicidal mission at the pier was also orchestrated as a set-up to enable the elimination of the protagonist's crime competition by a figure that supposedly was a legend who "never existed," but was in fact right there in plain sight the whole time. [Spoiler: The English equivalent of the Turkish word "Soze" is "Verbal" - the nickname of one of the most unsuspected main characters, thus identifying him as one and the same person.]

With a budget of $6 million, the film took in $23.3 million in revenue. The film's two Academy Award nominations were both Oscar-winners: Best Original Screenplay (McQuarrie) and Best Supporting Actor (Kevin Spacey).

• in the film's opening set in the present at the San Pedro (CA) harbor, a dying and wounded Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) (with a paralyzing spinal injury) was confronted and shot dead in the head by a man he identified as "Keyser" (Scott B. Morgan) on the deck of the Tanager at 12:30 am; then, "Keyser" torched the vessel
• in the next sequence, an individual in a bright spotlight was being questioned following the disaster - he was presumably a survivor of the ship's incineration at the California dock; the suspect was Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey), a manipulative, crippled (disabled, 'club-footed', or suffering from cerebral palsy) - a small-time, two-bit con-man
• according to Kint - seen in a flashback to six weeks earlier (with Kint's voice-over at times), he was the sole survivor of a group of five tough and savvy criminals, who earlier had been hauled in by the NYPD after a Queens, NY truck hijacking and gun parts shipment robbery; the five individuals were arrested in various locations throughout NYC:
  • Roger "Verbal" Kint, the limping hustler
  • Michael McManus (Stephen Baldwin), a cocky professional thief, a hot-headed "entry man" and sniper
  • Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollak), an auto-body shop worker, also an explosives specialist and thuggish hijacker
  • Fred Fenster (Benicio del Toro), a flashy-dressing Latino who spoke in mangled English; he was also McManus' partner
  • Dean Keaton, already introduced, a crooked ex-cop, now reformed and in the restaurant business, with lawyer girlfriend Edie Finneran (Suzy Amis)
• the person in charge of the arrests and investigation was Detective Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri), a tough US Customs Agent and federal investigator; the group of five individuals were put in a NYPD police-lineup (illustrated on all of the film's posters, known as the "usual suspects"), and were all asked to repeat the phrase: "Hand me the keys, you f--kin' c--ksucker!" during the "shakedown" [Note: In reality, none of them had been involved in the truck robbery - they were only there for "trumped-up" charges.]

(l to r): Hockney, McManus, Fenster, Keaton, Kint

• the fifth individual Kint appeared to be the outsider - he was the only one not shown being picked up by police, and in their holding cell block, Kint was viewed as an excluded stranger (rarely seen) and considered to be a disabled man by the others (he was called a "gimp" and a "pretzel man")
• the scene then shifted to the present day in the aftermath of the opening scene - at the San Pedro (CA) dock, bodies were being assembled (covered by S.P. coroner tarps), following the Tanager's burning and human massacre; at the scene was FBI agent Sgt. Jack Baer (Giancarlo Esposito); according to the police, there were only two survivors of the fiery explosion and fire-fight massacre at the San Pedro harbor: severely-burned Hungarian mobster-terrorist Arkosh Kovash ("Akos Kovacs") (Morgan Hunter) (hospitalized and in a coma) and the weaselly, limping "cripple from New York" - Roger "Verbal" Kint
• NYPD Detective Kujan flew from NYC to Los Angeles for a few days to conduct an investigation into the San Pedro dock disaster; in the San Pedro Police Department headquarters, Kujan was told by police Sergeant Jeff Rabin (Dan Hedaya) that in exchange for his testimony, Kint had been granted "total immunity" and was protected from prosecution for the 27 deaths at the dock, including the docked ship's damage, but he still might face a minor weapons charge; Rabin was upset - and delivered a prophetic statement: "I'm tellin' ya this guy is protected from up on high by the Prince of Darkness"; Kujan was also assured that Dean Keaton was dead, although he doubted that Keaton had died at the dock that night
• the film's main plot consisted of a lengthy questioning and interrogation session between Detective Kujan and Kint for about 2 hours, just before the criminal's bail was processed; the questioning (basically a long story-telling session or "friendly chat") was situated in the borrowed office of Sgt. Rabin; it was a cluttered San Pedro PD office with a bulletin board behind Rabin's desk, with tacked-up posters, memos, papers, etc; Kujan was baffled that Kint had all of his charges dropped, even though there were 27 bodies and the discovery of "$91 million dollars worth of dope (cocaine) that wasn't there"
• meanwhile, at the hospital in the room of the dying Arkosh Kovash, Sgt. Rabin witnessed the Hungarian mobster yelling out as his EKG possibly signaled his imminent death: "Keyser Soze!"; later in the film, a translator (Ken Daly) interpreted Kovash's confession about the shoot-out at the San Pedro harbor, explaining that Keyser Soze had bought 'guarantees' to eliminate specific people - it was "no dope deal"; he also claimed that he was able to identify Soze: "He saw the devil, looked him in the eye....Keyser Soze...He was in the harbor killing many men....He saw his face"; a police sketch artist (Michelle Clunie) was called upon to draw Soze's face based on Kovash's description; it was a laborious process that took a long time
• back in Sgt. Rabin's office, once Kint was seated in front of the Sgt's desk, he silently observed his surroundings including the cluttered bulletin board; he claimed he was often dehydrated as a child: "I'm really thirsty. I used to dehydrate as a kid. One time it got so bad my piss came out like snot. I'm not kidding, it was all thick and gooey"; he also randomly mentioned how he was a member of a barbershop quartet in Skokie, Illinois"

Kint Taking an Observational Look Around Sgt. Rabin's Cluttered Office

• at the start of the interrogation, Kujan asserted to Kint: "I'm smarter than you, and I'm gonna find out what I wanna know, and I'm gonna get it from you whether you like it or not!" - words that he might later regret; the two drank from white coffee cups with an insignia on the bottom written in red that identified them as Kobayashi Porcelain
• Kint's tale was a long and convoluted story (seen in flashback), beginning with what happened after the line-up; the 'random' group of five individuals was tried and found 'not guilty' - but afterwards, seeking revenge for being 'falsely accused', they went ahead on "a fast jump, high risk, long money" job recommended by McManus and Fenster, that was also bolstered by Keaton's knowledge as an ex-cop
• after Kint pressured Keaton to support them, the group of five pulled off a slick robbery of a protective escort service: ("New York's finest taxi service" run by over 50 corrupt NYPD officers - a "high-profit racket") that was escorting a jewel smuggler who had just arrived from South America; they pulled off a $3 million robbery of emeralds carried by the smuggler; Keaton notified the press who immediately arrived - and afterwards, over 50 cops were arrested ("from the chief on down") - Kint reacted by calling the operation "beautiful" payback
• Detective Kujan continued to believe that Keaton was still alive after the harbor incident: ("You say you saw Keaton die. I think you're coverin' his ass and he's still out there somewhere. I think he's behind that whole circus at the harbor. My bet is he's using you because you're stupid, and you think he's your friend. You tell me he's dead, so be it. I wanna be sure he's dead before I go back to New York")
• Kujan encouraged Kint to weave a detailed story: "Convince me. Tell me every last detail"; Kint continued to describe what happened following the lucrative heist, the group of five traveled to Los Angeles to sell or fence the loot through McManus' pre-determined fence named Redfoot (Peter Greene); then, after Redfoot connected them to a second jewel heist opportunity, their second robbery attempt in an underground parking garage failed miserably; Kint was forced to shoot the jeweler Saul Berg (Carl Bressler) in cold-blood (when he refused to turn over the case to Keaton) and Saul's four bodyguards were also eliminated; once the case was opened, the jewels turned out to be synthetic heroin; afterwards, Redfoot deflected blame, and directed them to meet with the person who had told him about the job
• the group of five was confronted by lawyer Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite), the one who had provided information to Redfoot about the second jewel heist; he had tracked the group from NY to Los Angeles; he was the chief go-between for his employer -- the mysterious Turkish crime lord named Keyser Soze; he offered the five criminals another job opportunity: "One job. One day's work. Very dangerous"
• first however, Kobayashi explained in detail to the group how he had deliberately arranged for each of them to be brought together earlier in the police line-up; it was payback since each of the five thieves had unwittingly 'stolen' from his boss Soze in the past; the five suspects had all stolen from or defrauded some of Soze's middlemen in his large criminal network (Keaton - a truck hijacking of raw steel in Buffalo in 1981, Fenster and McManus - a hijacked plane with gold and platinum wiring, Hockney - a Queens truck hijacking of gun parts, and Kint - the theft of $62,000 from one of Soze's couriers)
• in order to compensate for Soze's major losses and to repay him back, the five thieves were now blackmailed - coerced to go on a mission to San Pedro Bay (LA) harbor to commit a narcotics robbery in three days' time - they would destroy a huge cocaine shipment on a docked ship worth $91 million -- it would be an act of sabotage against Keyser Soze's own Argentinian drug-dealing competitors in the drug trade; before departing, Kobayashi left them with folders for each thief detailing each of their incriminating criminal careers; to threaten and force them to carry out his plan, Soze apparently had the families of the five men under surveillance (including Keaton's lawyer girlfriend Edie), and would brutally murder them if he was disobeyed
• at this point, the question facing Kint was "Who is Keyser Soze?"; during their conversation, Kint discussed the central mystery surrounding the enigmatic, greatly-feared, legendary existence and character of Hungarian mobster and kingpin known as Keyser Soze - a semi-mythical, mysterious, cold-blooded "devil", and almost supernatural Hungarian crime lord and mastermind
• accompanied by a flashback, Kint told about Keyser Soze's early life and the first time he ever heard of Soze; he described how long-haired Soze returned home in Turkey and found his family taken hostage (and his wife (Smadar Hanson) raped); to show his tremendous will-power and to intimidate his Hungarian Mafia rivals, he proceeded to murder the surviving members of his own family and all but one of his Hungarian Mafia rivals (to get him to later tell others about his ruthlessness); he told the last mobster: "He tells him he would rather see his family dead than live another day after this"; later, he proceeded to slaughter relatives of his rival mob members: ("He kills their kids, he kills their wives, he kills their parents and their parents' friends. He burns down the houses they live in and the stores they work in. He kills people that owe them money"); these acts were followed by his disappearance into the underground: ("And like that, he's gone. Underground.... Nobody's ever seen him since. He becomes a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night"); from then on, Soze worked his criminal empire through underlings
• Kint added the ironic comment that he felt nervous that the elusive Soze might be coming after him once he was released: "You think you can catch Keyser Soze? You think a guy like that comes this close to getting caught and sticks his head out? If he comes up for anything, it'll be to get rid of me. After that, my guess is you'll never hear from him again"
• the events leading up to the San Pedro boat attack were seen in flashback; the group had been pressured by the unseen crime lord, through Kobayashi, to visit the LA dock and eliminate the boss' criminal rivals; as an act of criminal misconduct, Soze appeared to have set up the group of five thieves to be victims by sending them to the pier to face a deadly shoot-out with an Argentinian rival gang
• after he attempted to flee and avoid participating in the confrontation, Fenster was shot and killed by Soze, and Kobayashi described to them where to find his body - by the oceanside; his buddies dug Fenster's grave in the sand using their hands
• to counteract Kobayashi (and Soze) in a daring kidnapping attempt by the four remaining thieves, McManus killed Kobayashi's two bodyguards in an LA business office elevator and threatened to "whack" him too; their plan was circumvented when Kobayashi calmly mentioned how he had hired Keaton's girlfriend Edie who was working on another floor of the LA office, and that he had the family members of the others under surveillance (who would be punished if they disobeyed)
• after surveilling the boat at the dock during the day and preparing to board later once it was dark, Keaton asked to know what language was being spoken by the crew - Kint told him they were speaking Hungarian; Kint was ordered by Keaton to stay behind as the three others attacked the ship, using explosives rigged by Hockney; during the massacre, Keaton approached with two guns blazing on the dock, and sniper McManus was stationed nearby to kill several Hungarian and Argentinian crew members; on the dock, Hockney was shot and killed point-blank by an unseen gunman; on the boat itself during further shoot-outs, it was revealed that an imprisoned Argentinian smuggler Arturro Marquez (Castulo Guerra) in one of the cabins was nervous about his fate: ("He's here. I know he's here....I'm telling you it's Keyser Söze!")
• in the police department, Kujan was called aside during his interrogation of Kint and notified that a body had been found that morning on the beach, shot twice in the head; the corpse was identified as belonging to the Argentinian smuggler Arturro Marquez; he had escaped prosecution after being arrested in the US for drug-trafficking, but then was picked up again in Long Beach before another escape; Marquez was being represented by Keaton's lawyer girlfriend Edie Finneran who had been hired by Kobayashi to be Marquez' extradition advisor; it appeared to Kujan that the "rat" Marquez feared prison and had acquired many enemies by naming over 50 individuals to the authorities; he was the one person who could positively identify and incriminate Keyser Soze, and therefore was the valuable cargo to be sold to the gang of Soze's rival Hungarians for $91 million - it wasn't a drug deal, but a person swap
• there were many confessed truths, half-truths, double-crosses, and lies in Kint's convoluted tale about the botched raid - it was clearly a set-up; he claimed he had witnessed and survived, but had not participated in it, although his confession was not believable
• once McManus and Keaton met up, Keaton was exasperated that there was no cocaine on the ship [Note: Was it mysteriously missing, or was it something more sinister?]
• the shadow of an unknown assailant covered over Marquez as he begged for his life: "I told them nothing. I swear"; he was murdered (off-screen, seen through a porthole); and then moments later, McManus fell dead in front of Keaton after his last words: "The strangest thing"; he had been stabbed in the neck; Keaton was also shot from behind and paralyzed with a serious spine injury
• Kujan returned to Kint in Sgt. Rabin's office, and explained his own understanding of the attack on the docked boat on the appointed Friday night; Kint denied Kujan's assertion that there were no drugs on the boat, and blamed "Keyser Soze" for shooting his friend Keaton in the back: ("I knew it was Keyser Söze...I mean, the devil himself"); according to Kint, the last to die was Keaton who was shot by the mysterious "Keyser Soze", who then (in the flashback) was seen setting the boat on fire
• the Detective became exasperated with Kint for his implausible explanations and shifting of blame; according to Kujan, the attack on the boat was primarily designed to enable Keyser Soze (in disguise) to get on the ship and eliminate the one Hungarian mobster who could recognize his identity - Marquez. It had nothing to do with the destruction of a competitors' drug supply: "There were no drugs on that boat. It was a hit. A suicide mission to whack out the one guy that could finger Keyser Soze. So Soze put some thieves to it. Men he knew he could march into certain death"
• Kint claimed he witnessed the nighttime attack on the ship that concluded with the appearance of an unidentified, cigarette-smoking phantom assailant ("Keyser"); after presumably killing those on board (including Hockney (shot), McManus (stabbed), and Keaton (shot)), he then ignited the ship on fire
• Kujan deduced: "Keaton was Keyser Soze" - the mastermind of everything, who had faked his death and deliberately left Verbal as a witness; Kujan had already been investigating corrupt ex-police officer Keaton for three years and suspected he was the kingpin; Kint disagreed, although Kujan was very sure: "The kind of man who can wrangle the wills of men like Hockney and McManus. The kind of man who could engineer a police line-up, through all his years of contacts in NYPD. The kind of man who could've killed Edie Finneran. (pause) She was found yesterday in a hotel in Pennsylvania, shot twice in the head"; it had all been a vengeful set-up created by Soze to send everyone to the ship - to die; Soze's goal was to get onboard and "pull the trigger" on the only man who could identify him - Marquez
• Kint continued to vehemently disagree: "No! No! No!...This is all bulls--t"; Kujan continued about how Keaton was the kingpin of the operation: "He programmed you to tell us just what he wanted you to," and immunity was his reward; Kint asked quizzically: "But why me? Why not Fenster, or McManus or Hockney? Why me? I'm stupid. I'm a cripple. Why me?"
• after again refusing to testify in court against Keaton (to have Keaton take the blame: "But I'm not a rat, Agent Kujan"), and rejecting police protection from Soze on the outside, the crippled Kint was released on bail that was posted 20 minutes earlier; at about 5:10 pm, he collected his gold watch and gold lighter (a clue that was often associated with Soze!) before limping away from the police station
• the concluding plot twist, however, clearly revealed and resolved the true identity of Keyser Soze; Kujan simultaneously realized - upon breaking his coffee mug (with the logo for Kobayashi Porcelain) and other trivial clues - that Kint was, in fact, the greatly-feared, legendary criminal mastermind and kingpin Keyser Soze of Kint's own extraordinarily-fabricated story

Broken Coffee Cup - The Kobayashi Clue
Kint (Kevin Spacey) Not Really Crippled

• as Kint left the station, his hand deformity and his limp suddenly disappeared from his stride; the police sketch artist's rendering of Soze's face (that was received on a fax in the office, from hospitalized Arkosh Kovash's description - he was the one man who knew Keyser Soze's identity!) confirmed that Kint was Soze
• to his stunned amazement, Kujan scanned the office's bulletin board and noticed that many of the elements of Kint's preposterous swindler story (about Kobayashi-Keyser Soze) were improvised from items behind Sgt. Rabin's desk in the borrowed office:
  • the coffee mug logo for Kobayashi was the same name as the blackmailing lawyer in Kint's account
  • the bulletin board was made by Quartet, a company in Skokie, Illinois, referred to in Kint's story as a "barbershop quartet" that he sang with
  • there was a picture of a wanted lady who was "orca fat" - with a list of her alias names on a wanted sheet - one of which was the name "REDFOOT" - one of Kint's fabricated characters ("Some guy in California, his name is Redfoot")
  • there was a vacation flyer for traveling to "Guatemala" ("A Winning Combination - Guatemala - The best buy for your client's vacation dollars") - Kint had said: "Back when I was pickin' beans in Guatemala, we used to make fresh coffee"
• out on the street after leaving the station, the "cripple" Kint lit up a cigarette with his gold lighter, before he was picked up in a black car driven by Kobayashi
• the film's last line was Kint's voice-over, words that he had spoken earlier - (when he blew on his fingers, as if to say 'Poof!'): "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that, he's gone"