The Usual Suspects

Starring Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollack, Benicio Del Toro
Directed by Bryan Singer

A group of criminals is rounded up to make sense of a stolen shipment of weapons, and the gathering in a holding cell inspires a new string of heists. This band of miscreants quickly find themselves unwittingly beholden to a criminal kingpin of mythical proportions, Keyser Soze. Faced with a threat upon their lives and the lives of all of their loved ones, they agree to one final job, knowing that it could very well be their last.

This film will mess with your head like a two year old with stereo knobs. At the end of the movie, you'll find that all your preset notions of the plot are set to country stations.

The acting's fantastic, and the direction by Bryan Singer is transparent (one of the highest compliments that I feel I can give a director). You simply have to see this movie to appreciate it.

Be warned, if violence and foul language turn you off, then you'd best steer clear of The Usual Suspects.

This may be the most equally butt-kicking and frustrating movie in the world. Honestly, I've spent more hours of my life than I care to count discussing and trying to understand it, but that's part of the fun.

This movie is singular in that each and every character in it is perfectly cool. There isn't a single person that you don't just secretly want to be just like. The five main criminals are all just incredibly sexy - even Kevin Pollack! - and Kobayashi is so calm under pressure that I found myself rooting for whatever side he was on.

There isn't one spare moment, not a solitary unnecessary comment or gesture in this movie. Everything leads somewhere. And if you find that you're asking yourself why you got yourself into this, it might just be because you realize that it's not just another Friday night date flick. This one forces your involvement - sometimes for days after you've watched it.