The Usual Suspects review





After a bloody carnage in a ship, which is believed to be the trade spot for drugs worth of 91 million dollars, only two survivors remain. One is a cripple and the other is a badly burned mafia guy who slips to coma .Upon further investigation, the cripple, after being given total immunity due to a lot of political pressure, reveals that he was a part of the team of mercenaries who were instructed to hit the boat and to destroy the drugs. The cops do not find any trace of the drugs.
The film then reverts back, upon the recollection of the cripple, to a police line-up staged up by the New York police to find the culprit who stole a truck filled with stripped gun parts. The only clue is the voice of one of the men who attacked the truck. The police gathers up 5 suspects and investigates them. Their voices are checked and they are put in the same room. Amongst them are the felon partners McManus(A top notch entry man) and Fenster, Todd Hockney (good with explosives and a real tough guy) ,Dean Keaton(a former corrupt cop and already presumed dead) and Roger ‘ Verbal’ Kint (cripple, soft spoken and the man with the plan ).
The suspects do not yield anything to the cops who were desperately hoping that someone might slip something. But, right under their something else is happening. McManus proposes a new ‘job’ and everybody is interested, everybody except Keaton. Being reformed now and living with a lawyer now, he does not want to go back to his former life.
Verbal comes up with a plan involving five men. Five, including Keaton. McManus tells Verbal that he’ll be included if and only if Verbal could convince Keaton to join them. After being briefed by Verbal and after realizing that the police are not going to leave him alone now that they have found out that he’s alive, he agrees.
They plan to attack New York’s finest taxi service. Don’t get this wrong but this finest taxi service is not an ordinary taxi service. It’s a ring of corrupt cops who runs a high profit racket driving smugglers, drug dealers and other culprits all over the city for a few hundred dollars a mile. They attack these guys while they are ‘transporting’ and Keaton makes an anonymous phone call, thus ending the entire racket and resulting in the imprisonment of the corrupt cops. Yep, Business along with pleasure.
Then they go to visit a man called Red foot at Los Angeles, who gives jobs to McManus. He asks them to hit a jeweler from Texas called as Saul, who always carries a lot of cash. Red foot wants the merchandise and offers the team any money they find with Saul. But, as it turns out, Saul is a drug dealer and he has nothing except the ‘merchandise’ .Enraged, the guys quarrel with Red foot, who tells them that he was offered the job by a lawyer called as Kobayashi. They arrange a meeting with the lawyer.
Meanwhile, the guy in the coma wakes up and reveals that Keiser Soze was responsible for the killing of 27 men in the ship and he was there killing men. The word gets to Dave Kujan, one of the investigating officers from New York and he urges Verbal to reveal all the information.
Verbal starts recalling the night at which they were proposed a deal by the lawyer Kobayashi. Verbal recalls that when the lawyer revealed that he works for Keyser Soze, everybody freezes in horror. He also reveals that it is Soze who tipped off the police on their locations for the police lineup. He also says that if they fail to comply, they’ll be betrayed by tipping off the cops, of who killed Saul and his bodyguards. Kobayashi says that Soze wants them for a job of stopping the deal. A deal worth 91 million dollars of money, drugs and Soze’s opposition drug dealers are involved. The objective is to stop the deal, destroy the drugs and to seize the money for the team itself.
Not knowing who Soze is, Verbal asks the others who he is. Soze is supposed to be born to a German father and is Turkish. Nobody knew if he was for real. He always uses people indirectly and never gets revealed. As Kobayashi puts it,” One cannot be betrayed if one has no people.” Soze is a cold butcher and a fearless psycho. A tale is told to Verbal of how Soze killed a opposition drug mob, back in his days at Turkey, when he was a small time gangster.
One day, the mob guys come to his home, captures Soze’s family and waits for him to return. Upon his return, the Hungarian mobsters kill his son as a warning in front of him and demand his territory and all of his business. Soze draws his gun, shoots all of his family and then the gangsters. He lets one go alive to pass the message. He then goes after the mob. He kills their kids, their wives, their parents, their friends and lastly them. He later goes underground and becomes a myth. Verbal also reveals that he’s afraid of Soze.
Dave says that Soze will come after Verbal and asks him to turn state evidence. But, Verbal denies and recalls the events after that.
The next day, they find Fenster gone and the same night they get a phone call on where to find Fenstar. The guys then go to kill Kobayashi and finds that their loved ones are in threat. Finding no other way other than to attack the abundant and wary guards, they come up with a plan to tackle the guards. But, what they find out confuses them. There’s no dope on the boat and they find that they are killed one by one .Verbal escapes as he did not get on the boat.
Dave Kujan does not agree with many things verbal has told him. First of all, he could not believe Keaton retired for a woman from crime, who was indicted for 7 times totally while in the police force during which the witnesses either reversed their testimony or simply died . When he finally gets to prison, he kills 3 prisoners inside.
Second, he thinks that Keaton arranged the hit on the corrupt cops, not Verbal.
Third, he accuses Verbal of having idolized Keaton and trying to show him to be a good guy. And he suspects that Keaton is still alive somewhere once again.
And ultimately, he suspects that Keaton is Keiser Soze, who engineered everything from the start and the only reason that Verbal is alive is because he regards Keaton as a friend and admires him. The perfectly programmed weakling, to tell what he was made to believe, to the police, which would wipe out the doubts. He points out that all the pressure coming for his release is being generated by Keaton. Dave also reveals that Keaton’s lover was found murdered. He also points out that Verbal just heard the gunshots and did not see Keaton die.
Finally, Verbal concedes that everything done after the police lineup, including the hit on the corrupt police was planned by Keaton and everybody followed him. Dave says that Soze might be nothing but a spook story and asks Verbal to turn into a state evidence, so they can protect him. But, Verbal refuses saying that he’s not a rat to do so and walks out into potential danger.
What happened to Verbal? Who’s Keyser Soze? What happened to Keaton?
Was he really Soze? Did he really die? Were the police able to find out ? And most importantly, if the hit on the boat was not for the drugs (which was never found), what’s the real motive? And why did Soze send some handpicked guys on a wild goose chase and go there himself?
I guarantee you guys, this movie is well worth your time. This movie won two Oscars. One for the screenplay and the other was given to Kevin Spacey for his brilliant performance as Verbal. The way he acted made that character look helpless, soft spoken, intelligent and sentimental. He has lived the role of a cowardly cripple.
Gabriel Byrne as Keaton has acted well too. One look at him and you can tell that he is shrewd and cunning.
The movie has a strong plot and a brilliant cast. It’s not a star cast, but everybody is a good actor. The music is also great and adds to the suspense.
If you have read all this and think that the movie sounds interesting, wait till you see the last 15 minutes. Especially, the climax and the motive for sending them to the ship. Strongly recommended if you want to see a suspense movie.
Rating:A+

Director: Bryan Singer.
McManus: Stephen Baldwin.
Keaton: Gabriel Byrne.
Fenster: Benicio Del Toro.
Hockney: Kevin Pollack.
Verbal: Kevin Spacey.
Dave Kujan: Chazz Palminteri.
Music: John Ottman.
Written By Christopher McQuirre.

.

Comments

  1. A very nice review indeed. . . was gripping to read, juz like the film . .

    ஒரு சின்ன சஜஷன் . . பிளாக்கர்ல போடுறதுக்கு முன்னாடி, இந்த paragraph ஸ்பேஸ் கொஞ்சம் உட்டீங்கன்னா படிக்குறதுக்கு இன்னமும் நல்லா இருக்கும் . . இன்னமும் நிறைய எழுதுவதற்கு வாழ்த்துக்கள் பாஸு . .

    ReplyDelete
  2. அண்ணே.. நான் எப்பவோ.. இதுக்கு.. கமெண்ட் அடிச்சேன். என்ன ஆச்சி?? :( :( :(

    கருந்தேள் நீங்க பாராக்ராப் பத்தியா..? நான் Black BG-யில்.. white லெட்டரை படிக்க முடியலைன்னு அடிச்சிருந்தேன்.

    இருங்க... திரும்ப கொஞ்ச நேரத்தில் வர்றேன்.

    ReplyDelete
  3. அப்புறம். இந்த வேர்ட் வெரிஃபிகேசனைப் பத்தியும் சொல்லியிருந்தேனே தல?! :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. word verification எடுத்துட்டேன் தல.......

    ReplyDelete
  5. ஏன் இப்டி ஒரே பீட்டரா இருக்கு? தமிழ்நாட்லதான் மதுர இருக்கு தெரியும்ல? உஷாரா இருந்துக்கப்பு...

    ReplyDelete
  6. தல!நாங்க இருக்குறது சென்னைல........
    தளபதி வாழ்க.........

    ReplyDelete
  7. அப்பு... நான் ஆஜர்..
    சீனத்தில எழுதலாமா நானு..

    ReplyDelete
  8. தாராளமா தல......இது நம்ம ப்ளாக் ......
    வந்தது வந்துட்டிங்க......அப்டியே ப்ளாக் எப்டி இருக்குன்னு ஒரு கமெண்ட் போட்டுட்டு போய்டுங்க........

    ReplyDelete
  9. தேளு, பாலா சொல்றத கேளுங்க. அப்புறம் நம்ம பய புள்ளய எல்லாம் இங்லீச தமிழ்ல படிச்சா தான் சந்தோசப்படுவாங்க.. அதனால முயற்சி பன்னுங்க... படமும், விமர்சனமும் ஒரே மொழின்னா(ஆங்கிலம்) கூட்டம் குறையும்.. ஆதாரம்:தேளு பாலா அப்புறம் மயில்ராவனன்.. வாழ்த்துக்கள்...

    ReplyDelete
  10. நாலு வரியியில கமெண்ட் அடிக்கிறது
    எங்க குடும்ப வழக்கமே இல்லைங்க..

    படிச்சுட்டு இருக்கேன்.. விவரவமா கமென்ஸ் வெளியாகும் சார்...

    ReplyDelete
  11. இல்லுமினாட்டி! நீங்க ரொம்ப இங்கிலீஷ் படம் பார்ப்பவரென்றும் அதுவும் சப் டடிட்டில் இல்லாமலேயே பார்ப்பவரென்றும் தெரிகிறது. உங்கள் ரசனையும் நன்றாக இருக்கிறதென்று புரிகிறது..சரக்கு சாப்ட்டு ஒரு வேலையும் இல்லைனா அந்த இருட்டடிச்ச டெம்ப்லேட்டை தயவு பண்ணி மாத்திடுங்க. கலோரி பாக்கிறதும் டைம் பாக்கிறதும் சினிமா விமர்சனத்துக்கு சம்மந்தம் இல்லைன்னும் சொல்லிக்கிறேன். உங்களுக்காக ஒரு பதவி காத்திருக்கிறது. எங்கேயா...? அந்த நாத்தம் புடிச்ச நன்னாரி ப்லாக்லதான்

    ReplyDelete
  12. உம்..இதான் உம்ம கூடாரமா..கவுரவமாதான் இருக்கு..இங்கிலீசு (இங்க்லீஷ் இல்ல..) படம்னா பெட்ரோலுக்கு ரொம்ப புடிக்குமோ...(யோவ் ரெட்டை இங்கிலீஷ் பட பைத்தியம்யா...மாசம் ஐநூறு ரூபாய்க்கு பர்மா பஜார்ல டிவிடி வாங்குவான்...உமக்கு ஏதும் படம் வேணும்னா அவன்கிட்ட வாங்கிகோங்க...இங்கிலிஷு மொழில சினிமான்னு ஒன்னு இருக்குன்னே எனக்கு அவன் சொல்லித்தான் தெரியும்...He is a real cinema addict...)

    ReplyDelete
  13. இல்லுமினாட்டி! சொல்றதைக் கேளு..ஊர் உலகத்துல ஆயிரம் நல்ல டெம்ப்லேட்டுங்க இருக்கு எதுனா ஒன்னைப் போட்டு ஃபான்ட்டை மாத்திக்க..படிச்சாக் கண்ணு வலிக்குது! திரும்பவும் சொல்றேன்,,,அஞ்சு பைசாவுக்குப் பிரயோஜனம் இல்லாத அந்த ரெண்டு கேட்ஜட்டையும் எடுத்துட்டு ரீமா சென் ஃபோட்டொவ வை..இந்திய தேசமே உன்னை வாழ்த்தும்..! என்ன சரியா!

    ReplyDelete
  14. செம்ம பிளோ.. சான்சே இல்ல :) அப்படியே படம் பார்த்த எபக்ட்.. ஆனால், கடைசியில் படத்தின் திருப்பு முனை காட்சியை பற்றியும், அதை வைத்து படம் பற்றியும் ஒரு அனலிசிஸ் பண்ணி இருக்கலாமே? டிஸ்க்ளைமர் போட்டு?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IT by Stephen King….

Killing joke(r).... (18+)

MIsery - இளகிய மனம் உடையவர்களுக்கு அல்ல.......

Punisher Max in Tamil.... (18+)

The Dark Knight – At war...

Batman Begins – The Revelation…

The Butterfly Effect - தவறுகளும், விளைவுகளும்….

La Belle – துன்பம் தரும் அழகு........

சிறை மீட்டிய சித்திரக் கதை.......

My Love (2007) - காதல் படுத்தும் பாடு…