The Usual Suspects - My Favourite Film

I think it best to start this blog off with a little information about me. Before I start ranting and raving about this and that, perhaps it would be best for me to lay the foundation and let you know what I'm about cinematically, and what films tickle my fancy.

First off, I believe that one can be partially defined and profiled what what films they like the most. There is arguably no greater form of art that is as widely embraced yet as emotionally influential as filmmaking. Films have the ability to change minds and alter perceptions about the world in a way that few other mediums can. Because film exists in a narratively and aesthetically-constructed manner, it can affect how we feel on a very personal level. The greatest filmmakers understand how to control and manipulate these fronts, thus creating wonderful pieces of work that fill us with emotion (of some sort) and leave us thinking - sometimes for days, sometimes for years and sometimes forever!

Of course this is a generalization of sorts. I could spend days debating this point back and forth. but suffice to say, this basic understanding is what separates good films from, say Space Buddies.

My favourite film, without a doubt is The Usual Suspects. I'm serious...#1 of all time! Sometimes I tell people this and they give me funny looks - especially if they're passionate about film and film studies. Answers sometimes go like this...

"Seriously? It's because of the ending, right?"

"(insert requisite eyeroll) Oh, I get it. It's because Kevin Spacey's SOOOO wonderful in it, right?"

"Hey man, it's good. It's just not what I'd call '#1-worthy,' that's all"

Trust me, I've heard it all. I mean, after all, it's a mid-90s thriller with a crazy ending. It's so contrived, so Hollywood and so very OBVIOUS! But I love it, and here's why.

When I was 12, a couple of my pals and I rented it as part of a "rent-three-movies-cheap" deal at Jumbo video. We got through the first two (Johnny Mnemonic was one of them, I think), but we called it a night before hitting the third. The next night, with a deadline to return the tapes looming over my shoulder, I decided to watch the third one - The Usual Suspects - myself. From the moment I pushed play, I was mesmerized.

Dialogue was snappy; shots were full and colourful; cuts were quick and the music was riveting. Most importantly, the plot was so dynamic, it became hard to follow what was going on a times. It left no room for ADD look-at-distracting-shiny-things moments. I REALLY had to pay attention.

By the time I got to the end of the film, I was completely engrossed. I just couldn't stop watching. I was so fixated on everything going on in the film, that I was completely blind-sided by the ending.

For you unlucky souls who haven't seen this flick, I won't ruin your life by ruining this ending. It is, after all, one of those seminal cinematic plot twists - Up there with Rosebud in Citizen Kane. It is a powerhouse ending, and it left me speechless.

No, that's a lie

It left me screaming at the top of my lungs, no jokes! It was 11:30 when the movie ended. I was freaking out so loudly that my Mom rushed downstairs to make sure I was alright. After convincing her my freak out was cinematic in nature, and not from huffing glue or experimenting with drugs (I was 12, after all), I ran through all the highlights of the film to her.

She ended up watching the film the next day, and loving it. She even showed it to my Grandfather, who, despite all the swearing (old people and swearing is never a good combo) thought it to be one of the best films he had ever seen.

I re-watched this film over and over again. To this day, I have most of the dialogue memorized word-for-word. When I transferred into Film Studies at Carleton University, I used every opportunity to analyse and summarize elements of the film for assignments and presentations. And why not? The film is well-shot and directed, especially considering it was director Bryan Singer's first major role and he was working with an All-Star cast of top-calibre actors. His use of colour is wonderful and his camera movement, while very textbook, still contains moments of brilliance (The scene when Chazz Palminteri busts through the office door and says "Who's Keyser Soze" to Kevin Spacey comes to mind).

The Christopher McQuarrie-written script is fast-paced and heavily dialogue-driven. It incorporates all the staples that typify tough-guy gangster bravado - including references to past crimes, apathy towards killing while on a job, and tons of swearing (like Goodfellas). Of course it has its flaws, but all in all, it's a fantastic film. But these aren't the reasons why it's my favourite.

I love this film because it was the first one I ever watched critically. It was the first film I watched where I was conscious of the way in which it was shot and the techniques used. It was the first film where I noticed how important mise-en-scene (placement of objects/actors within a specific shot) was to creating a sense of visual completeness. It was the first film where I realized how important it is for a film to be edited properly to convey meaning. It was as though someone had turned a light on in my head. It was an exhilarating experience, and one that would completely change the way I watched film. They were no longer just "Movies," they were beautiful pieces of art.

Because of this film, I began researching older films considered "great" in their own right. I spent countless hours by myself watching old westerns, comedies, dramas and anything else I could get my hands on. Some of these films required A LOT of focus and mental energy (remember my ADD and love of shiny things), but I ultimately got way more out of them than what I had to put in. Immersing myself in films of all types gave me access to countless visual and mental wild rides, and allowed me access to the subjective imaginations of others. Quite literally, the development of a love of film quite literally changed my life.

Cinematically, The Usual Supects might not be as revered as anything made by Truffault, Bergman or Kirosawa - considered to be 'great' filmmakers. It is, however, a big deal to me. As I mentioned earlier, film has the ability to affect us on a deeply personal level. This film opened my eyes to the complexity of filmmaking separate from the simple enjoyment one gets from sitting on the couch and watching a movie. I became more aware because of it.