• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.1 x 5.42 x 0.58 inches; 2.4 Ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ Bryan Singer
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ DVD
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 46 minutes
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, French, Spanish

I found out about this movie in an indirect way, and unfortunately that involved hearing a major spoiler, before I knew anything else about it. When I actually watched it for the first time, I had that spoiler in mind, and it colored the way that I saw everything. It's a shame that I couldn't have seen it once without that knowledge, to see if I would have figured it out for myself, and how soon.

But the point is that the spoiler did not ruin the movie, which is about more than just a solution to a mystery. The key is the great acting, by everyone involved. Kevin Spacey, certainly, as the mild mannered "gimp" of a con-man, turns in one of his best performances. But everyone is excellent, Gabriel Byrne as the corrupt ex-cop, the whole gang which he has collected, and Chazz Palminteri as the detective who keeps on probing, knowing that there is some key fact almost within reach.

And that means that I can watch this and enjoy it more than once. It's true that, as with most movies, on watching it again, there are logical questions about the plot which you can't put out of your mind, but which don't necessarily have good answers. The resolution, although clever, may not work quite the way it's meant to. But then, few if any films are perfect in that respect. Take this for what it is, and it's very enjoyable. And if you recommend it to someone who hasn't seen it, do not tell them, well, you know.

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I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen “The Usual Suspects” since 1995. First time in a theater, then from the video rental store, then seeing it in bits and pieces on TV. And now, in a “what the heck” mood, on Amazon. Still works for me. A great thriller with some excellent performances, and even thoroughly spoiled, the big reveal at the end is still a delight.

Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, a Lesser Baldwin, Chazz Palminteri, and hey, there’s a really young Gus Fring! And in any movie, when Pete Postlethwaite shows up, you have to settle in and enjoy him. Even in the otherwise leaden and cheerless “Inception”. He’s a joy to watch, especially here doing a sort of strangled middle-European/Far East accent.

It’s a brilliant cast. But above the rest in a bravura performance, Kevin Spacey.

Sure, we all know by now that he’s a creep, but wow, can that creep act! If I had to choose between “Se7en” and this one, I’d have to give the “Suspects” top billing. Spacey is on screen in almost every scene, while in “Se7en” he’s a shadowy menace for most of the movie. Sly, funny, glib, toying with the cops, he’s really something to watch.

You almost need to watch “The Usual Suspects” a second time just to get straight what our unreliable narrator is telling us, and to guess how much is total invention. And a third time to appreciate what actors like Benicio Del Toro and Kevin Pollack do with their few lines. And maybe the fourth time to admire Bryan Singer’s framing and pacing. There’s hardly a wasted second in this compact thriller, a trait I’ve come to admire more and more compared to the bloated running times and shameless padding even routine shoot-em-ups now indulge in. No mawkish sentimentality, minimal character development, just enough voice-over to keep things moving at a good clip. Singer went on to make some of those bloated running times, but on this one, his production was sleek, compact, as close to perfect as a movie needs to get.

Plot holes? Well, for a gang of ruthless dangerous gangsters, those Hungarians sure were oblivious and easy to mow down. And if you’ve ever been on a largish freighter, you will be amazed at the maze of compartments and spaces and places to hide contraband. Byrne and company could have searched for a day and not found the prize. And I’m doubtful if even Keyser Soze could really interrupt the flow of flame along the fuse by a remarkably accurate micturition.

But who cares? The plot is a device of precisely machined interlocking parts that shouldn’t be too closely scrutinized lest we lose the pleasure of its working. “The Usual Suspects” is a fine bloody valentine to the art of filmmaking.

If this is your first time to watch it, I sort of envy you the pleasure of watching it unfold, especially now that it’s old enough that younger people might be un-spoiled. If it’s the second or fifth time, it’s still a good way to waste a brisk 1 ¾. And if you’re ever picking coffee beans in Guatemala, know that you can’t really make coffee from green beans. They have to be fermented, then roasted. Agent Kujan should’ve known that, even if he’d never been to Skokie, Illinois.