Upon watching The Usual Suspects, I was initially excited to see what all the hype was about however, I found the film to be somewhat of a letdown. That being said, I do think that there were some strong aspects to the movie.
From a technical standpoint, The Usual Suspects was quite impressive. The camera direction by Bryan Singer was particularly noteworthy, especially given that this was only his second full-length feature film.
Where the movie fell short for me was in the writing. While the dialogue and overall story were intriguing, the way they were executed left much to be desired. In particular, the first act of the film was disjointed and difficult to follow. The audience was thrown right into the middle with the suspected criminals, with little information given about their backstories or their connections to one another. As new characters were introduced, the plot became even more complex and convoluted, making it challenging to keep up with all the moving pieces. Once the film starts to conclude the second act, the pieces become a little more streamlined, which makes the back half of the movie much more enjoyable.
In terms of acting, the performances were a bit of a mixed bag. Some actors, such as Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne, delivered grounded and impressive performances. However, other characters felt like overacted caricatures of quirky criminals, such as Benicio del Toro's character.
One of the main selling points of The Usual Suspects is its "incredible" twist ending. However, I personally saw it coming from a mile away, which was a bit disappointing. It's possible that the film's score may improve upon a second viewing, but for now, I can only give it three stars. That rating is primarily due to the strong technical aspects of the movie, as without those, it would likely only receive two-and-a-half stars.
Score: 56% ⚠️ Verdict: Decent