39 lines
3.9 KiB
Plaintext
39 lines
3.9 KiB
Plaintext
in 1995 , brian singer and christopher mcquarrie dreamed up a simple concept : the audience isn't stupid .
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from that , they went on and created the most plot-driven , intricately pieced movie in the last 25 years .
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the result : the usual suspects , one hell of a movie that redefines the word plot twist .
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the story is convoluted , and is really confusing to read , although easy to follow on screen .
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special investigator kujan ( chazz palminteri ) grills " verbal " kint ( kevin spacey ) , a crippled con-man who is the lone survivor of an la boat explosion that claimed more than 20 victims .
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kujan wants to confirm that his nemesis , the rogue cop keaton ( gabriel byrne ) , is actually dead .
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kint relates the majority of the film in flashback , beginning with the fateful day when five shifty guys meet in a police-station lineup in new york city .
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along with dour keaton , kint encounters cheerfully sociopathic mcmanus ( stephen baldwin ) , mordantly sarcastic hockney ( kevin pollak ) , and fenster ( benicio del toro ) , whose speech is virtually incomprehensible .
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together they plot to steal a small fortune in gems from " new york's finest taxi service " --crooked cops who provide escort service for visiting drug kingpins .
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what follows is a shell-game of violence and betrayal , all hinging on the identity of a mysterious villain called keyser soze .
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the film is brilliantly compact : its the shortest 90 minutes you'll ever spend in a movie theater .
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the cast is exceptional .
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palminteri shines , he is brutally honest , a true cop , one who is going after the whole story because its there .
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byrne is terrific , his brooding character , his seriousness is needed to supplement the hysteria of benicio del toro , who is a riot as fenster .
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del toro is brilliant , his lines are a jumbled mess , you can't understand a word the man says , but it sure is damn funny .
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baldwin is also very good , he is careful , methodical , and cold , a chilling character with a nasty streak of hot-blooded sarcasm .
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pollak is also terrific as usual , a very good character actor .
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however , this will be forever known as the film that launched kevin spacey .
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spacey is simply breathtaking , he is a force on screen , giving a magnetic performance that jars the senses at the end of this twisting maze .
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spacey's performance will be remembered for years , for it is the best of his career , it may be the best supporting actor performance in the last 50 years .
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verbal kint is a clever storyteller , weak , oppressed , and gleefully evil to the bone , yet pitiful , one who draws sympathy .
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the film is a good one , a decent film until the last 10 minutes .
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what this film boils down to is the greatest ending in cinematic history , for me at least .
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the revelation of keyser soze , the closing gunfights , it is something wondrous .
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you have to see this movie about 10 times to believe what they do .
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kudos to mcquarrie and singer for giving the audience a delightful , fast-paced , furiously plot-driven movie with quirky characters , phenomenal acting , and some hilarious moments stuck in the middle .
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mcquarrie refuses to believe the audience is dumb .
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without furnishing too many details , he concocts his story and lets it run , hoping the audience gets it at the end .
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we do .
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this might just be the finest cinematic puzzle ever created .
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kudos also to singer and john ottman , who created the score .
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they both create what is a true film-noir setting , carefully setting up this intricate puzzle until the final , jarring ending .
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there are flaws : more questions raised than answers , lack of character development , and no strong female characters ( save one ) .
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however , the plot , and that stunning ending , make up for all the flaws and more .
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if you haven't seen the movie , rent it .
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watch it .
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then rewind the tape , and watch it again .
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trust me , you'll be amazed .
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