# The Usual Suspects (1995) Review: A Heist Told in Whispers > The Usual Suspects is Bryan Singer's twisty 1990s crime thriller about five crooks, one interrogation and a legendary villain, still a model of tricky storytelling. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/the-usual-suspects-1995-review/ Published: 2026-07-23 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 4.5/5 ## Verdict Yes. It is a slick, clever and endlessly rewatchable crime puzzle; ideal for anyone who loves sharp dialogue and stories that reward close attention. ## Is The Usual Suspects worth watching? **Yes. The Usual Suspects is one of the most ingenious crime thrillers of the 1990s, a heist story told almost entirely through one man's testimony, and it still plays beautifully today.** Christopher McQuarrie's screenplay is a marvel of construction, and the ensemble cast gives every hardened crook a distinct voice. The reservations are that the characters are more types than people, and the film's reputation for trickery can make first-time viewers watch it like a puzzle rather than a story. ## What is The Usual Suspects about? [The Usual Suspects](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/the-usual-suspects-1995/) opens in the aftermath of a deadly explosion aboard a ship in San Pedro harbour, Los Angeles. One of the few survivors is Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), a small-time con man with a limp, who is questioned by a relentless customs agent, Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri). Verbal's story reaches back weeks, to a police line-up in New York that brought together five career criminals: the former corrupt cop Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), the volatile McManus (Stephen Baldwin), his partner Fenster (Benicio del Toro), the sardonic Hockney (Kevin Pollak) and Verbal himself. Their collaboration draws them into a web of jobs and, eventually, into the orbit of Keyser Söze, a criminal so feared that some doubt he exists. Bryan Singer directs McQuarrie's Oscar-winning script. The American film is in English, runs 106 minutes and is rated R. ## A screenplay that turns talk into suspense McQuarrie's script is the film's engine. It is built as a series of nested stories, with Verbal's account filling in the heist while Kujan pushes, doubts and circles back. The dialogue is quick, profane and quotable, and the structure keeps the audience alert to every detail without drowning them in exposition. It is a thriller where the most gripping scenes are simply two men talking in a cluttered office. Singer's direction is confident and economical. He shoots the criminals' exploits with a cool, noirish polish, and John Ottman, who both edited and scored the film, keeps the rhythm taut and the mood brooding. The line-up scene, with the five suspects bantering and bristling, is a masterclass in establishing an ensemble in a few minutes. ## An ensemble of distinct, dangerous voices The cast is uniformly strong. Gabriel Byrne gives Keaton a weary gravity, a man trying and failing to leave crime behind. Benicio del Toro is a scene-stealer as Fenster, whose mumbled delivery turns every line into a comic event, and Kevin Pollak and Stephen Baldwin bring swagger and menace to their roles. Spacey won an Academy Award for his performance, which is controlled and quietly comic, and Palminteri is a perfect foil as the combative investigator. Pete Postlethwaite is memorably unsettling as Kobayashi, a lawyer whose courtesy is more frightening than threats. ## Where the cleverness costs depth The film's precision is also its limit. Most of its characters exist primarily to serve the plot's architecture, and there is little emotional stake beyond the puzzle. Suzy Amis's lawyer, Edie, is given very little to do, and the film's women are largely absent. For some viewers, especially those who already know how the story unfolds, the pleasures are formal rather than emotional. It is a brilliant machine more than a moving drama. ## Who should watch The Usual Suspects? This is essential for anyone who loves [crime](https://celluloidscore.com/genres/crime/) stories, heist films and intricate [thrillers](https://celluloidscore.com/genres/thriller/). It is rated R for strong violence and pervasive language, and it rewards attentive viewing; it is not a film to half-watch. Go in knowing as little as possible and resist looking anything up. Some viewers may also weigh the serious sexual misconduct allegations later made against both Singer and Spacey; Spacey was acquitted of all charges at a UK criminal trial in 2023. For more in the same vein: - [The Silence of the Lambs](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/the-silence-of-the-lambs-1991-review/), another early-1990s thriller built around mesmerising interrogation scenes. - [Crime 101](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/crime-101-review/), a more recent crime film that cares about the psychology of the people planning the job. ## The verdict The Usual Suspects is a superbly built crime thriller, a triumph of screenwriting, ensemble acting and misdirection. Its characters are thinner than its plot, but few films make storytelling itself so suspenseful, and it remains a pleasure to revisit. **Rating: 4.5/5** ## Related title - [The Usual Suspects (1995)](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/the-usual-suspects-1995/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)