The Usual Suspects (1995)

**tak sakaguchi** Qua Mar 11, 2009 3:49 pm

On the deck of a ship in San Pedro, California, a figure identified as "Keyser" speaks with an injured man called Keaton (Gabriel Byrne). The two talk briefly, then Keyser appears to shoot Keaton before setting the ship ablaze. The next day, FBI Agent Jack Baer (Giancarlo Esposito) and U.S. Customs special agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) arrive in San Pedro separately to investigate what happened on the boat. There appear to be only two survivors: a crippled man named Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey), and a hospitalized Hungarian criminal. Baer interrogates the Hungarian, who claims that Keyser Söze, a Turkish criminal mastermind with a nearly mythical reputation, was in the harbor "killing many men." The Hungarian begins to describe Söze while a translator interprets and a police sketch artist draws a rendering of Söze's face. Meanwhile, "Verbal" Kint has testified at length about the incident in exchange for near-total immunity. Police Sergeant Jeffrey Rabin (Dan Hedaya) comments that Verbal must have powerful protection to get such a favourable deal, and that high-ranking officials including "the governor" have made inquiries on Verbal's behalf. After making his statement to the district attorney and while waiting to post bail on a relatively minor weapons charge, Verbal is placed in Rabin's cluttered office where Kujan requests to hear the story again, from the beginning. Verbal's tale starts six weeks earlier:

Five criminals are brought together in a police lineup—Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) is a corrupt former police officer who has apparently given up his life of crime; Michael McManus (Stephen Baldwin) is a crack shot with a temper and a wild streak; Fred Fenster (Benicio Del Toro) is McManus' partner who speaks in mangled English; Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollack) is a hijacker who forms an instant rivalry with McManus; and Verbal himself is a con artist with cerebral palsy.

While in holding, McManus convinces the others to join forces to commit a robbery targeting corrupt NYPD police officers who escort smugglers to their destinations around the city. After the successful robbery, the quintet travel to California to sell their loot to McManus' fence, "Redfoot" (Peter Greene). Redfoot talks them into another job: robbing a purported jewel smuggler. Instead of jewels or money, as they were told he was carrying, the smuggler had cocaine. An angry confrontation between the thieves and Redfoot reveals that the job came from a lawyer named Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite). The thieves later meet with Kobayashi, who claims to work for Keyser Söze and blackmails them into attacking a ship at San Pedro harbor. Kobayashi describes the boat as smuggling $91 million worth of cocaine, to be purchased by rivals of Söze. The thieves are to destroy the drugs and, if they choose to wait until the buyers arrive, can split the cash as they choose.

Spacey as "Verbal" in The Usual Suspects.In the present, Verbal tells Kujan the story of Keyser Söze as he apparently heard it from Keaton and the others. Verbal's flashback described Söze, a "small-time" but respected Turkish criminal, being harassed by a rival Hungarian gang in Turkey and, rather than have his wife and children used as hostages, Söze killed them himself, then went on a murderous vendetta against all those involved, even indirectly. Afterward, he apparently disappeared (Verbal: "And like that... he's gone"). With time, Söze's story took on mythic stature, with most people either doubting his existence or disbelieving it entirely. Kujan, previously unfamiliar with Söze, asks Baer about him. Baer admits no direct knowledge but has heard rumors for years about Söze insulating himself behind layers of minions who don't know who they're working for.

Verbal also describes Fenster's attempt to run away, ending with him being killed by Kobayashi. The remaining thieves kidnap Kobayashi, believing Söze to be a cover for his own activities, intending to kill him if he does not agree to leave them alone. Kobayashi is uncowed and McManus is on the verge of executing him when Kobayashi reveals that lawyer Edie Finneran (Suzy Amis), Keaton's girlfriend, is in his office. Kobayashi also says that she and other loved ones of the thieves will be maimed or killed by various henchmen of Söze (who "is very real, and very determined") if they do not carry out the job.

On the night of the cocaine deal, the sellers—a group of Argentine mobsters—are on the dock, as are the buyers—a group of Hungarian mobsters. Keaton tells Verbal to stay back, and to take the money to Edie if the plan goes awry so she can pursue Kobayashi "her way" and to convey Keaton's regret that he couldn't go straight, as she wanted him to ("Tell her... I tried"). Verbal reluctantly agrees. He watches the boat from a distance, in hiding, as Keaton, McManus and Hockney attack the men at the pier. Hockney is killed as Keaton and McManus discover separately that there is no cocaine on the boat. Meanwhile, Hungarians, yet untouched by the thieves, are being killed, and a closely-guarded Argentine passenger is killed by an unseen assailant. McManus is killed with a knife to the back of his neck, and Keaton, turning away to leave, is shot in the back. A figure in a dark coat appears, presumably Keyser Söze, and lights a cigarette with a gold lighter. He appears to speak briefly with Keaton before apparently shooting him (the scene which began the film in medias res).

In the present, with Verbal's story finished, Kujan reveals what he has deduced, with the aide of Baer: The boat hijacking was not about cocaine, but rather to ensure that one man aboard the ship—the Argentine passenger, one of the few individuals alive who could positively identify Söze—is killed. After Söze presumably killed the man, he eliminated everyone else on the ship and set it ablaze; Kujan also reveals that Edie has been killed. He has concluded that Keaton was Keyser Söze. Kujan's ongoing investigation of Keaton is what initially involved him in the case, and Kujan is convinced that Keaton has faked his death (as he had briefly done some years earlier during another investigation) and deliberately left Verbal as a witness.

Under Kujan's aggressive questioning, Verbal tearfully admits that the whole affair, from the beginning, was Keaton's idea. His bail having been posted, Verbal retrieves his personal effects from the property officer as Kujan, relaxing in Rabin's office, notices that details and names from Verbal's story are culled from various objects around the room, including Rabin's crowded bulletin board and the "Kobayashi" logo on the bottom of Kujan's coffee cup. Kujan realizes that Verbal made up the entire story. He chases after Verbal, running past a fax machine as it receives the police artist's impression of Keyser Söze's face, which resembles Verbal Kint.

Verbal meantime walks away from the police station, dropping his feigned cerebral palsy, and gets into a waiting car driven by "Mr. Kobayashi", pulling away just as Kujan comes outside, searching in vain. The final moment of the film is a repeat of Verbal's earlier statement about Söze: "And like that... he's gone."

Directed by Bryan Singer
Produced by Michael McDonnell
Bryan Singer
Written by Christopher McQuarrie
Starring Gabriel Byrne
Chazz Palminteri
Kevin Spacey
Stephen Baldwin
Kevin Pollak
Benicio del Toro
Giancarlo Esposito
Pete Postlethwaite
Dan Hedaya
Suzy Amis