The Usual Suspects Review - Off The Shelf Reviews

Join Gary and Iain for a review and discussion of, The Usual Suspects (1995) by Director, Bryan Singer. Starring, Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne and Chazz Palminteri.
For more Off The Shelf Reviews:
Follow us on Twitter: / @otsreviews
KZbin: / hunterscrow
Facebook: / offtheshelfreviews
Support us: / offtheshelfreviews

[@Protoman85]

In Saints Row the sniper rifle is called the McManus

[@darthkek1953]

Saint's Row - the game that GTA always thought it was.

[@GoKimyGo]

Another nuance was that when McManus was dying Keaton ask him , what happened and he says "the strangest thing" and then dies. He saw Verbal (Soze) before he died but took it to the grave

[@mikespearwood3914]

Yes, there are subtle clues there throughout the movie pointing to Kint being Soze

[@darthkek1953]

This was a great film, and back before we realised Bryan Singer was a boy-focus variant of Jimmy Saville.

[@themandalorian2616]

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn't exist. And just like that, he's gone."

[@zanemagers7465]

When Iain calls Roger Ebert a fat fuck 😂 Fantastic film and an awesome review guys! 👍

[@jamesaitchison9478]

The Usual Suspects is a great movie, i love the gritty Noir feel it has, some brilliant acting indeed, great script, editing and directing too. A stellar cast plays their roles perfectly, and the film is a classic with lasting appeal. Great review guys 👍

[@devonhayes2209]

I love that pretty much 95% of the movie could be or is a lie because Verbal was the one telling it. We know he lied about a bunch of things including Redfoot being a actual person so we don't know anything. For all we know Dean Keaton was the terrible human being that the cop said he was and there never even was a girlfriend. This is the only movie I have ever seen where the whole thing is one big lie!

[@plasticweapon]

you're dumb.

[@pureuncutlakers1010]

Good review fellas. I remember seeing this movie in High School, 1995 I think, and was blown away. This movie and Resevoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, M Night movies, etc. were the first to kind of leave the linear/commercial genre of the 80s. The Usual Suspect was not big in the theaters when it came out but word of mouth made it a classic. As a matter of fact, the next year when I went to college, they showed this film and no one had seen it but me. Funny thing is that the fact that the Usual Suspects was missed by most people and then discovered by most way after its theatrical release actually made the movie more legendary, so to speak, than if it was a blockbuster.

[@mikespearwood3914]

Same way The Shawshank Redemption got popular: word of mouth after it's cinema release. So everyone was hiring it on VCR in the next year or two after release.

[@michaelmohrle1773]

I saw it on VHS when it came out in Blockbusterc just about same time in theaters, chilling. Still don't get it 100%

[@extraplain2412]

I love this movie, I first watched it back in 08 and was in my last year of high school so I asked my Media teacher if we could watch it and talk about it, only a 3rd of the class liked it, the others thought it was boring or just didn't get it, and by the ending some of them said they guessed it was Verbal who was Keyzer simply from having watched Scary Movie 1.. Also Pete Posthlewaite was born in my hometown of Warrington in England, I think he is in the same boat as Gabriel Byrne, a great actor but didn't get the spotlight as much as he should of done. May he RIP. Great review guys, really love your channel.

[@Lektuerekurs]

LOL same here - I watched Scary Movie first. But also as a little kid I watched Space Balls first :D :D

[@bilalrashad6636]

That twist ending blew my mind the first time I saw this movie

[@LoneWolf81684]

I'm not a big fan of crime thrillers but The Usual Suspects is a huge exception for me. Very well-made film.

[@damianstarks3338]

This movie is fucking brilliant especially the ending Kevin spacey’s role is in the books as one of the greatest villains in movie history.

[@willmcgill5742]

"We hear you're looking for Candyman, B*tch" "Hand me the keys, you f**king c**ksucker" Nothing like the comedy of a good lineup scene.

[@2Chickaboom2]

Great review! I love watching the two of you gush over every part of this movie, it it very deserving of such praise. I didn’t fully get it myself until several viewings. When I saw it in the theater on opening day,I left very confused. Thanks for sharing!

[@thebeautifulgame442]

I will swear Postlethwaite is Kaiser Sose. He's the only one whose face isn't seen by anyone, nor is he described physically at any point by Kint - who is visually recognisable at that point to the authorities

[@mariovaccarella6854]

Did anyone else notice that when (Spoiler Alert) Kevin Spacey is doing Verbal Kint, He's Right-Handed, and, when doing Keyser Soze, He's Doing Things Left-Handed?

[@hypnocilicdreams]

Damn, Del Toro was good in this movie. His studies in his youth under legendary acting teacher Stella Adler really show in his flawless, natural style. He did seize a sizable chunk of this movie for himself despite his relatively limited screentime, I like how your reflected that. Thanks guys! Looking forward to Gaming Friday & Podacast ep 4! Regards, from one of your many (6,926 in fact) No.1 fans :)

[@getfreemazes]

he'll flip ya. flip ya for real

[@aleaanderson6600]

Kevin Pollak was Lieutenant Sam Weinberg in A Few Good Men

[@Neon-Monkey]

this was favourite film when i was about 15, think i watched it so many times. need to watch it again. good review guys, really enjoy your stuff!

[@timlemox4558]

One of my all time favorite movies. Thank you so much for this review! Though I know tons of trivia about the film you still managed to tell me new info I wasn't aware of!!!

[@zanemagers7465]

hahaha Iain: "an fuckin amazing experience you fat fuck" personal" 😂 you guys are the best

[@whoawtf7419]

Hearing Iain, an "everyman" sort of critic, so effortlessly shutting down one of the most renowned critics in the world is why I love this channel.

[@rickydc0475]

finally!!! a good concise play by play of this really fun yet mysterious movie! the black guy from England, sorry i forget his name, he's really good and does great impersonations too but I guess it takes two people, like the "old" Siskel and Ebert reviews to bring out more and more buried nuggets of hidden information as to WHO WAS KEYSER SOSE'....i enjoyed your guy's presentation alot, thanx!!!

[@mikespearwood3914]

What black guy?

[@normski0457]

The shot where Redfoot flicked the cigarette Baldwin at was live. He was meant to hit his chest so the reaction was "live", Must have seen this film, easily my favorite, at least a dozen times and each time I see something new, for example, I missed the order of the envelopes in the briefcase being the order of deaths.

[@Ocrilat]

If anyone wants to see a great murder mystery...probably one you've never heard of, check out 'The Last of Sheila'. Talk about a forgotten masterpiece.

[@nenabunena]

Never heard of it but will check it out now, thanks!

[@Ocrilat]

@@nenabunena It was written by Anthony Perkins of 'Psycho' fame, with an all star cast and shot on location in southern France (both unusual for the 1970s). It's a murder mystery where the movie doesn't 'cheat'. No last minute revelations...no invisible clues.

[@johnashley327]

Great movie and great review. I didn't know Coulson was in this.

[@jamesfeltman2685]

One of the best movies I've ever seen.

[@chicagomike4587]

Great job guys I think we can't say anything is 100% true when it came just from Verbal. The whole boat ambush, how they got there, etc is all from him. I always figured he had some truth - enough to keep it good enough so the cops believed it and cut him the deal. But technically, the cops showed up at a burning boat with over 20 dead bodies and a cripple with a automatic weapon. The cripple told the story and the only other witness (the burned guy) has a different story about Keyser being in the harbor, killing many men. That's what is so fun about this - we can argue about what really happened and what didn't forever.

[@mhdwahoud]

The amount of effort that went into this review

[@Forgottenchannels]

Certainly re-watchable. I've just watched it again tonight after who knows how many times seeing it which is how I came across your review.

[@kojiattwood]

THERE IS NO FUCKING!!! COKE!!!!!!

[@nightthornkvala94132]

I find your reviews entertaining and informative. They're a joy to watch. Have you guys reviewed 2003s Identity or Venom or Upgrade, both from 2018? I never get tired of rewatching those faves.

[@OffTheShelfReviews]

Cheers for the kind words, we have not reviewed any of those titles yet, but there is always time. Upgrade was fantastic and would love to review that one!!

[@zacharyjochumsen9677]

@@OffTheShelfReviews and you wr notice how wered I'd thst Bryan singer and Kevin spacey have both been cancelled these days fun fsftbdud konwv Kevin soace havthully had sex with bryansgers then boyfriend kn set

[@jacksmith3189]

I like the scene in LA, the guy with the sunglasses, carrying the brief case. Take note of the neck on that guy, it’s huge Very creative ending to movie Well done review Thanks

[@michaelmohrle1773]

One part I don't get is when Verbal shoots Saul Berg, he is telling the story to agent Koulan, but there's no way he could of told him that, right ? And there is only one guy that scares Keiser Soze, that would be one plot they never go in to, Ruby Deamer.... " There's nothing in there about Ruby"..." I can be on the phone to Ruby Deamer in 10 minutes" !!!! Yells Koulan to Kint or rather Soze, never went into his story or showed who he was.... hmmm....

[@RedwoodTheElf]

You couldn't have made this film when the Hays Code was in effect, because you couldn't let a bad guy "Get away with it" in the end.

[@bubmurphy]

I'm 5 minutes into this review (on a binge here,new sub)and I'm surprised these guys didn't just recognize Gus Fring.Maybe by the end...

[@pantaleonpizzaparte3338]

I have two film recommendations that are very closely related and also very different. Excalibur (also with Gabriel Byrne) and Double Indemnity (A classic film noire)

[@keysersoze3977]

Every time I’m having a bad day I say “bad day...fuck it..”

[@AarenJable]

Oh nice! I wonder if we'll ever see a review of Heat one day...

[@AarenJable]

Have either of you watched Legion yet? I recommend it if you haven't.

[@mariovaccarella6854]

On the Dock, Verbal Kint says that The Language Spoken is Hungarian, so, how did He know that, unless He Was Keyser Soze.

[@kimchi2780]

One of the greatest movies of all time.

[@barbarosb9900]

You guys deserve more subs Could i suggest some Movies ? 1. Goodbye Lenin 2. Unbreakable ( Bruce Willis ) 3. Cool Runnings 4. ROOTS ( The original ) 5. Taken 1-3 6. Idiocrazy

[@thecawmaster9892]

I Freakin love Thursday's and Friday's! Great review as always guys.I would love for you guys to review The Business,A film featuring Danny Dyer and Tamer Hassan.It is a personal favourite of mine.

[@aleaanderson6600]

4:45 - Agent Coulson!

[@MegaRez111]

my favorite film of all time... The Departed is a close second

[@nenabunena]

Also loved the prestige along with this

[@MrDarkweaver]

The lawyer girlfriend of Keaton was Edie Finneran :)

[@whoawtf7419]

The Usual Suspects is one of my favorites! would love to see you guys review "Identity." It always seems to pop up when searching pschological thrillers and I seem to have an unpopular opinion of it. Personally I think its extremely predictable and any kind of suspense that is built up is ruined with cliches. Really curious to see what you guys think of it.

[@jacksmith3189]

del Toro was also excellent in “28 Grams.”

[@johnashley327]

You have to review Miller's Crossing.

[@wratched]

OK. Question: Soze/Kint had transnational immunity. He had literally no reason to even be in the same room with Kujan, let alone spend two hours jerking him around. He could have just walked out at any time. And at that very time, a survivor of the very boat he had just blown up to protect his identity was giving his identity to the police. The movie ends with Soze's identity revealed. So what was the point of Soze's plan?

[@anridapu]

Good question! But I guess if Verbal hadn’t hung around to be interviewed by Kujan then there wouldn’t have been a movie!

[@91lifetime23]

Nice review as always, please review The Mummy when you get a chance!!

[@NickElliott-xn4bg]

Such a great film, seen this alot and it never loses it appeal its also very funny and wow what a cast! As always gary and iain you nailed every aspect once again 👊

[@jasondouglas152]

This movie would have been great if se7en wasn't out months afterwards. Kinda got lost in the shuffle

[@cookiewoman8959]

Another great Kevin Spacey performance is in American beauty

[@ghostlightx9005]

Spoiler: Back in the day, near Glasgow, there was a huge billboard advertising this movie with the classic line-up poster, and someone had graffitied "It was him" in huge letters with a big arrow pointing to Verbal. Also, is there a plot hole in this movie? When Verbal is re-telling the story to the cop, he basically confesses to murder when he tells the story of the hijack in the multi-storey carpark and Verbal shoots him in cold blood. I mean we are led to believe all or much of what he tells the cop is just BS to buy time till he is released, so why would he basically confess to a murder when he absolutely didn't need to? That makes zero sense.

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

Great film, great review but I was surprised you didn't mention Zed...I mean Redfoot more, especially the 'Business or pleasure?' line. Did you notice Keaton's mask during the second hold up making him look like The Shadow, a role he was also up for? Also the significance of the lawyer's name, Kobyashi, in Star Trek the Kobyashi Maru is the famous training scenario to which there is no solution in order to test the steel of Starfleet officers, in this film Kobyashi offers the gang a no-win scenario

[@taydestiny38]

MrLorenzovanmatterho-excellent observation!! Thank you for those facts.

[@brettthebad]

Yes, he did look like The Shadow! Good call...

[@gtviper1158]

Do a video on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang a great detective/comedie movie!

[@chrisdyer5074]

The point at the end is, Keaton is dead, and kint is soze..? Exactly as soze would want it, were he Keaton.

[@Avinator5712]

They actually give the twist away pretty early. In the one of the first scenes Verbal says that he had a condition when he was a kid where his urine came out all thick and lumpy. And the urine you see right in the beginning of the film- it's lumpy and thick from the Kaiser

[@Ayo.Ajisafe]

Because the Maltese Falcon is film Noir and Usual Suspects is Neo Noir.

[@5oups3yeVi3w]

Yes!

[@victorvictor8587]

This film has a hint of a real life seen involving Detective Michael Dowd from the 75th precinct out of New York Suffolk County .

[@richlaw666]

Good review guys

[@Anarckitty83]

Gary, is that a Gangrel tattoo on your arm??

[@1qwasz12]

Please review Angel Heart and Brazil.

[@vizitorluu9263]

This is a masterpiece ! Still now ! K.S = Kayser Soze = Kevin Spacey

[@moviefan1007]

How do people like this movie it was boring and confusing

[@vizitorluu9263]

Well you did answer to your own question ! You were confused so it was becoming endlessly bored. Unless you were bored so you did not paid attention to anything. When my maths teacher does his math lesson, one half is confused and in the long run Bored.

[@chrismctwatt7552]

I remember queuing for the Usual Suspects on the way into the flicks to find some bastard had written on a poster "It's him" above Kevin Spacey's head...oops, spoilers.

[@mikespearwood3914]

lol, what a wanker!

[@Galantski]

_The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. And like that... he is gone._

[@VenusHeadTrap2]

I'll go and watch it now before I see your guys discussion :) same as when you recommended The Myst to me before the ending discussion o that film

[@porkflaps4717]

With Kint making up all that stuff in the cop office from reading the pegboard and coffee cup, then do we even know why these people really died? Or what is even true? Is what happened is that they all were just killed because they all stole from Keyzer Soze at some point?

[@davydevilution7297]

Brilliant Movie! Great Review

[@TheMan-vw3lk]

"Top top top," film.

[@youngfyah]

Please do way of the gun.

[@anthonylee923]

Love the doom shirt

[@madalinam6183]

The only reason I watched this movie at the time was Gabriel Byrne. It was a phase. On a more annoying note, it bothered me the mispronunciation of Kujan. They say his name in the movie you're reviewing. Why say it differently?

[@deloresmadefayou344]

They focused on the lighter server all times as well thru out the movie

[@irllcd13]

The movie lying is an old storytelling trick. It's called the Unreliable Narrator. Ebert is an idiot. He always has been. I'd say it's possibly the movie is a little overrated as it's risen to near mythical status, but it is really, *really* good.

[@dirkb9788]

Kind is child in German.

[@jujutaylor2186]

My favorite movie

[@elliotspencer9115]

This so funny. I've been in kaiser sose's basement.

[@josh72456]

I knew the fucking twist before seeing film thanks to Scary Movie and hoodwinked.

[@dinksmallwood5561]

Despite how much of a manipulative badass Kayser Soze is - this movie is the story of his downfall. As the movie ends we have a sketch of him and a chief prosecutor who has realized that it was Verbal Kint all this time. Now they world knows what Kayzer Soze looks like. There are simply too many loose ends for him to tie up, too many people in the justice system will know his face and he can't kill them all before the information spreads. Despite the movie portraying it as a victory for Kayzer Soze, in reality he has lost the one thing most valuable to him: his anonymity.

[@dinksmallwood5561]

The one thing Kayzer Soze missed was the surviving hungarian, and his willingness and arrogance to play around with the prosecutor was a huge mistake. The alternative is that perhaps "Kobayashi" (the driver) is the actual Kayzer Soze and Verbal Kint is meant to have his face known as Kayzer Soze. Perhaps Verbal is a loyal partner who is handsomely rewarded by the actual Kayzer Soze in order to throw of the justice system while also acting as a potential sacrificial pawn.

[@irllcd13]

Thumbs up for the DOOM shirt.

[@TheMan-vw3lk]

Love this film

[@Ooooyerr]

Verbal made a comment "this Keyser soze guy is waiting to pick me up 5 min after I leave" while being interrogated.. I think the lawyer might actually be Keyser Soze.. I mean soze is supposed to be Turkish or Hungarian I think? He should have some kind of accent atleast.. like the lawyer does. The whole point of the boat was to get the one and only guy who could identify Soze, why would soze risk identification to neutralize a risk of identification.. maybe the whole thing was using "verbal" to fool the police into think soze was verbal when really it was the lawyer.. just a theory I've always had. It could have been a double bluff. Verbal (possibly a very high ranking and we'll trusted soldier of Soze) was sent to personally make sure the one man who could identify Soze was dead at the same time creating a false identity of Soze, the man who survived the boat fire and gave the police sketch didn't know what soze looked like, he saw verbal "killing many men" on the boat and assumed he was the real Keyser Soze because that's who they were there to identify, and the prisoner kept insisting Soze was personally there even though he hadn't physically seen Soze on the boat yet. Verbal may have intentionally been arrested so he could go to the station and pull the switch making the cops think he was Soze (in case anyone else survived the boat) now the cops are looking for verbal kint not the lawyer. Possibly the lawyer and verbal are soldiers but I wonder if verbal was really Keyser. It seems blatantly obvious that verbal is Soze until you look at all the (possibly) tiny clues to hint that verbal may not really be Soze, it seems like I'm crazy but be open once, watch the movie and pay attention to the tiny little sudden details especially when the lawyer is on the screen or any time verbal is talking and keep the context in your head that verbal might not really be Soze and that it's really the lawyer or nother of them... That verbal may purposely be setting the nonexistent "verbal kint" to look like he is Keyser Soze.. Then come back and comment here and tell me what you think. I'm not 100% dedicated to this theory I think it's just as possible that verbal was meant to be the real Soze but I'm not sure.

[@deloresmadefayou344]

🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤣

[@anridapu]

You’ve really thought about this and done your homework, kudos! Plenty to think about there. 👍

[@nateds7326]

So is the police line up in the past or the present?

[@PandyBong]

Is this a serious question? Past of course, only the conversation between Kujan and Kint is present.

[@pennsworth996]

This movie is okay but aimed at adolescent boys, in keeping with the director and the star's off screen personae. What a twist!

[@nikitamcclelland1154]

If Childish Gambino was white

[@gravanico]

Algorithm Gang here

[@iidirectxii7545]

The piss take of the ending of Usual Suspects at the end of Scary Movie gets me every time.

[@niterida380]

I don’t understand how Byrne thought he was KS until he saw the film. He had to know during filming because in the opening he clearly sees that it’s Spacey. How could he be KS if he was shot and about to be killed?

[@jbard9892]

Byrne is actually playing Soze in the scene on the boat, not Spacey. And they shot that scene multiple times in different ways, which is why they could tell all the actors they were KS.

[@mikek2954]

Rodger Ebert was one of those snobbish critics if the movie didn't make sense to him or he didn't like it it's garbage and no one should watch it

[@REfan001]

well this movie is ruined now

[@rosemaryfarell5264]

Great movie ruined forever by Creepy pervert Director and Kevin Spacey.

[@Freshwaterboy]

A VERY overrated film.