The One That Got Away

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Rating: R

Runtime: 106 minutes

Box Office (in today’s dollars): 36 million (approximately)

Characters: Roger “Verbal” Kint, Dave Kujan, Fred Fenster, Todd Hockney, Dean Keaton, Michael McManus, Jack Baer, Jeffrey Rabin, Edie Finneran, Mr. Kobayashi, Keyser Soze

Favorite Quote: “Hand me the keys you fucking cocksucker.”

Favorite Scene: The first 10 seconds we see Verbal in the interrogation room

Favorite Character: Fenster

Other need-to-see nineties movies directed by Bryan Singer: none

I did not see this movie when it came out in the theaters and it wasn’t until after the ending was spoiled for me that I did. Of course that totally ruined it for me, but it was still a really good movie once I did watch it. The characters and the storytelling are fantastic. The main five guys are all great in their own way. Everyone’s favorite is probably Verbal, but Fenster is mine. He is hilarious. Side note: funny story ... Excess Baggage was the first movie I saw starring Benicio del Toro. And I am pretty sure I saw it at least three times. But let’s not talk about that. Fenster delivers many laughs in this movie, and the one I liked the best was his interpretation of the line “Hand me the keys you fucking cocksucker” during the line-up.

The ending of the movie is probably one of the best ever, but since I already knew what was going to happen I chose another scene in the movie as my favorite. It is a very short scene (about 10 seconds), but it is so good. It’s when we are first introduced to Verbal in the movie, and (though we don’t know it at the time) it is where he comes up with the story he tells Special Agent Dave Kujan just by scanning the bulletin board hanging on the wall. As for the ending, I think it was one of if not the first movie from the nineties that had a huge “twist” that had everybody talking. And then it seemed that every movie to follow in the nineties tried to top it.

I am sure this movie would have been one of my favorites at the time if I had seen it right away, and it’s probably impossible for anyone to have avoided spoilers now over 22 years later. But if it is ever on TV I would have a hard time not watching it, and if you have somehow never heard of/seen this/been spoiled on this movie, see it before it’s too late. Hopefully, if you made it this far in my review, I haven’t given anything away.

Next movie to review: Toy Story