usual suspects american neo noir mystery crime thriller film directed written stars del film follows interrogation verbal small time con man survivors massacre fire ship docked port los tells convoluted story events led partners crime boat mysterious mob boss known commissioned work flashback narration story increasingly complex film shot million budget began title taken column spy magazine called memorable lines classic film singer thought good title film poster developed visual idea film shown competition cannes film festival initially released theaters received favorable reviews eventually given wider release won academy award best writing original screenplay won academy award best supporting actor performance writer guild america ranks film having 35th greatest screenplay time remembered having definitive popular plot twists cinematic history plot film opens criminal lying badly wounded ship docked confronted mysterious figure calls shoots dead sets fire ship ship leaves survivors hungarian hospitalized severe burns verbal con artist cerebral customs agent flies new_york_city verbal describes flashback events led criminals ship verbal explains weeks earlier new_york criminals arrested charge decided pull police led corrupt policeman robbed group corrupt transported police convoy went california fence stolen criminal named turned jewel quarry turned heroin shoot way soon lawyer named contacted told turkish crime lord mythical reputation thieves stolen offered job invade ship manned gang drug dealers competing destroy million worth cocaine transporting learns fbi agent questions verbal verbal tells underworld legend murdered family attacked gang hungarian criminals hungarians held dear went underground seen business know working urban legend story criminals tell kids night verbal goes explain group gave location find dead body tried kill strong armed performing threatening loved ones ship killed hungarian found drugs board man locked aboard ship killed unseen person killed set ship fire verbal looked verbal concludes story believe insists murder victims boat drug dealer escaped prosecution claiming identify represented lawyer girlfriend claims selling hungarian rivals distraction let kill informs verbal murdered verbal says entire plan idea refuses testify court verbal bond posted released moments later realizes verbal entire story lie details crowded bulletin board office verbal walks outside gradually dropping supposedly hand runs verbal comes california police sketch artist rendering dictated looks exactly like verbal misses verbal moments disappears car driven cast actor tired independent films expectations met met director went minute telling like work baldwin finished singer told exactly expected wanted impressed actor met party asked film read screenplay turned thinking filmmakers pull met screenwriter singer impressed vision film dealing personal problems time backed hours filmmakers agreed shoot film los_angeles actor lived weeks del suggested del role character originally written type actor mind del met singer film casting director told want audition feel comfortable met singer film heard actors auditioning role came auditioned got verbal singer sent screenplay film actor telling role written called singer told interested roles intrigued turned role wrote actor mind singer wanted actor film unavailable role offered turned filmmakers come read decided played cop heat available week signed persuaded film financial support film fully sufficiently high profile star thanks recent release tale bullets broadway right hand man influential criminal lawyer girlfriend fbi special agent investigates boat explosion pier jeff assists interrogation verbal uncredited fence sets job criminals los_angeles puts touch production origins met party screening young filmmaker film film festival encouraged number people knew seen impressed told singer wanted film singer read column spy magazine called usual suspects line singer thought good title film asked reporter film replied guess bunch criminals meet police line incidentally visual idea singer poster guys meet line singer remembers director envisioned tagline poster hell singer asked question possibly bring line revamped idea unpublished story man murders family disappears writer mixed idea team criminals character based new_jersey murdered family disappeared decades assuming new identity ultimately based previous los_angeles law firm worked decided change thought boss object found word roommate english turkish dictionary translates talk characters names taken staff members law firm time employment worked detective agency influenced depiction criminals law enforcement officials script singer described film double meets said sorts things didn realize time second time way time compared film structure contained subject telling story criminal anderson tapes pre production wrote drafts screenplay months singer felt ready shop studios interested european financing company singer difficult time getting film non linear story large dialogue lack cast attached project wanted established stars offers small role fence hooks protagonists went european money allowed film producers offers actors assemble cast able offer actors salaries usual pay agreed quality script chance work money fell singer script cast attract pick film negative casting singer said pick people imagine turn research role met doctors experts cerebral talked singer fit dramatically film decided affect body according cast quickly rehearsals worked develop distinctive speech patterns according actor source character unusual speech patterns came realization purpose character die del told singer doesn matter far filming budget set million film shot days los_angeles new_york_city said shot interrogation scenes span days scenes shot rest film police lineup scene ran scheduling conflicts actors kept blowing lines feed actors questions camera improvised lines gave answer actors break character remembers laughing takes said action barely able said hardest laughing takes baldwin worst goal usually crack spent morning trying unsuccessfully film scene lunch frustrated singer angrily actors resumed cast continued laugh remembers finally takes couldn stay singer editor combination takes kept humor characters bonding told singer going portray tell cast members scene understood saying confronted singer director told scene don understand saying maybe time let audience know don need know saying led inclusion improvised line stolen real loan film singer spent hour day shooting underground parking garage robbery according day singer footage wanted refused stop filming spite bonding company threat shut production scene crew meets drug deal cigarette face scene originally flick cigarette chest actor missed hit baldwin face accident baldwin reaction genuine despite enclosed practical locations short shooting schedule cinematographer newton developed way shooting dialogue scenes combination slow moves ended tight close ups add subtle energy scenes style combined movement sense motion limited space post production editing phase singer thought completed film weeks early morning realized needed time sequence convinced audience film punch chris written beautifully according assembled footage montage work added overlapping voice montage featuring key dialogue characters relate images early executives problems worried audiences problem studio decided promote character weeks film debuted theaters posters appeared bus stops spots told people character despite efforts actors film consistently instead singer wanted music boat resemble piano ending music based song release ran pre release promotion advertising campaign opened summer word mouth marketing advertise film buses billboards simple question film shown competition cannes film festival received audiences critics film given exclusive run los_angeles took combined new_york_city screens opening weekend film released theaters earned opening weekend averaged strong screen theaters following week added locations eventually million north_america reception rotten_tomatoes film received rating based reviews average rating site consensus reads shot edited usual suspects gives audience simple plot piles layers twists violence pulling underneath metacritic film score based critics indicating generally favorable reviews roger_ebert review chicago_sun-times gave film half stars considering confusing included film hated films list usa_today rated film half stars calling densely plotted mysteries memory way easy predict rolling_stone praised saying balls brilliant performance oscar bait way review washington_post wrote ultimately usual suspects clever good twist end crucial questions remain unanswered interesting little enjoyment movie trying connect dots fit days review new_york_times praised performances cast singer assembled fine ensemble cast actors lines performances despite exaggerated differences demeanor violence obvious performers create strong ambiguous characters independent praised film ending film coup grace elegant unexpected movie plays mind perfect clarity turns completely different movie watching better fact accolades nominated nominated academy_awards won acceptance speech said tell gon drunk tonight film nominated best film bafta awards won bafta award best original screenplay won bafta award best editing film nominated independent spirit awards best supporting actor del best screenplay newton won categories won best debut award 1st empire awards screened seattle international film festival awarded won gave best supporting actor award work film went win award gave cast ensemble acting award legacy june american_film_institute revealed afi best films classic american film genres polling people creative community usual suspects acknowledged tenth best mystery film voted villain afi years heroes villains june entertainment_weekly cited film movies empire ranked greatest movie characters poll ranked screenplay list greatest written afi years thrills years heroes villains years movie quotes greatest trick devil pulled convincing world didn exist years movies 10th anniversary edition mystery film nominated gangster film
The Usual Suspects