Author Topic: The Usual Suspects. [Thar be spoilers here, yar!]  (Read 2608 times)

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Offline 8ullfrog

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The Usual Suspects. [Thar be spoilers here, yar!]
« on: March 24, 2017, 12:53:27 PM »
Had this ruined for me years ago, so I never bothered. Recently I've been beefing up my movie collection at goodwill, and the Special Edition was available. Most of it is the usual press interviews where everyone says how fantastic working on the movie was, but some of it was interesting. Not worth a reissue, these would be youtube videos at best if the disc wasn't pressed in 2002.

One takeaway was Del Toro went full Fat Brando on his character, and Singer let him. Apparently his lines weren't particularly important to the story, so he delivered them in a strange mumble that even left him confused for a number of takes.

Secondly, and most importantly was a bit with Stephen Baldwin, who is rarely credited for any sort of insight. Singer came down hard on his improvisations, and several cast members joke about him, but he blows the movie out of the water with a few lines.

Everyone talks about the twists, but there are no twists, there are only lies. Which means most of the story is cowpoo, something the movie makes fairly clear, but it goes deeper. Kint walks with immunity, and most people think he is Soze. He certainly was Soze for the boat job, but any other information about Soze is a fish story.

What is solid?

We know the five were in a lineup, and that this leads Agent Kujan on his ahab's quest for Keaton. Everything else is the fish story.  Maybe Keaton and Kint were running a Soze scam. Some people point out Kobayashi picking up Kint as being evidence that he is straight up Soze, but there is nothing proving that man is Kobayashi. He could be anyone, including Soze.

Either way, I enjoyed the movie, and xbox live was down, the gits.

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: The Usual Suspects. [Thar be spoilers here, yar!]
« Reply #1 on: March 24, 2017, 08:02:20 PM »
I've never seen it.  I do like Benicio del Toro, though.

Offline 8ullfrog

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Re: The Usual Suspects. [Thar be spoilers here, yar!]
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2017, 01:59:43 AM »
When Del Toro auditioned, the director was warned that Del Toro is "from space". He was not told how to act, and the director was both amused and furious. He said it absolutely stole the show and made a rather unimportant character much more significant.

I found out you actually do see new things on repeat viewings, something I previously thought was cowpoo, simply because the film is fairly tight, with most possible fat trimmed. I completely spaced on the lighter in the opening scene, which you see again near the end of the film.

Still not sure I buy the biggest twists. One of the scenes that is not a retelling shows that Verbal Kint has two distinctive traits. First, that he is a cripple from New York, and second, that he is a con man. Which means spinning lies is his specialty.

Also found another character that could be Soze, so that's neat.

My mom said it reminds her of a Hitchcock. She was shocked when I told her the director went on to X-men after The Usual Suspects. He joked about it in one of the extras, that if he ran out of ideas for X-men, he could have them fight Soze.

I think you would enjoy it, and I'd be interested in your take.

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: The Usual Suspects. [Thar be spoilers here, yar!]
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2017, 01:38:16 PM »
I watched half of it last night and realized I'd seen it shortly after it was released.  It has a first rate cast and it's an excellent film.  I had to go to sleep so I quit half way through, but I'll finish it tonight. It certainly holds up to a second viewing.

Offline 8ullfrog

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Re: The Usual Suspects. [Thar be spoilers here, yar!]
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2017, 05:36:46 PM »
You'll have to tell me which clues you saw.

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: The Usual Suspects. [Thar be spoilers here, yar!]
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2017, 01:48:18 AM »
I really didn't see the final twist coming.  I had the wool pulled over my eyes as much as the cop.

Really good film, though.  I love Kevin Spacey.