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Recently, I was asked what my favorite movie was. I used to name “The Goonies,” the 1985 adventure movie about a group of kids who embark on a treasure hunt to try to save their neighborhood.[1] But a few weeks ago, after indulging in a throwback rewatch, I realized that the answer may instead be “The Usual Suspects.”
I didn’t see this movie when it hit theatres in 1995. It wasn’t on my radar; I hadn’t even seen a preview. But it fatefully – and thankfully – came to my attention one day in my Computer Animation class. I say “fatefully” because I was not slated to even be in that class. I’d always planned to fulfill my school’s music and art requirement by playing in the school orchestra. But after an unresolvable rift with my freshman year orchestra teacher, I set down my violin and headed to the computer lab, where I took a series of computer-based art classes and got acquainted with a new crew.
The classes all taught the use of PC software, including CorelDRAW and Adobe Photoshop, to create some form of art. My favorite course was Computer Photography, in which we scanned film negatives into a computer and then manipulated them to either enhance their best qualities (think of today’s filtering) or distorted them into new objects, sometimes beyond recognition. I loved that it was possible to tweak a picture subtly enough that the end product looked like a professional photograph, captured with the perfect angle and light. But I also enjoyed twisting and diluting an image into something much more beautiful and abstract than the original subject.
On my first day of computer class, I found myself amidst a collection of about 12 nerdy boys and one girl. Who were these usual suspects? First, Donald, a wise guy from an astoundingly wealthy family who made terrible fun of almost everyone but occasionally showed an empathetic and likeable side. Donald occupied the seat closest to the door so that he could rejoin his clique as soon as the bell rang. Further into the room sat Patrick, a quiet kid with kind eyes and a dry sense of humor. Next up was Tara, the only other girl in the class, who was two years my senior, exceedingly cool, and surprisingly friendly. Tara was only there to fulfill her last art credit so she could graduate and move on with life. And then there were a couple of kids who stayed mostly to themselves, reveling in the solitude that they thought this new PC-life would promise.
I wouldn’t say any of us became close friends – but over the three years we spent in the lab together, we gained respect for one another and sometimes even engaged in cordial conversation. Aside from a couple of geniuses in the class, most of us were in the early stages of computer literacy – and that united us. Being on an equal playing field eliminated the typical pressures we faced in a school where almost everyone had a private tutor and headed off to an Ivy after graduation. Occasionally, we’d critique each other’s work. Most often we’d talk to each other over our shoulders, our eyes locked on the screens in front of us.
One day, my classmates were bonding over some movie, quoting lines and engaging in a fairly passionate discussion. Detecting my cluelessness, gentle and dry-humored Patrick leaned over and asked if I’d seen “The Usual Suspects.” I replied that I hadn’t even heard of it. Patrick told our fellow classmates to turn down the volume since I hadn’t yet seen the movie and, the next day, brought a copy of it to class. As he handed the VHS tape to me, he held onto it for a moment and said, “I’m not telling you anything about this movie, but you have to go home and watch it tonight. Trust me.” The synopsis on the back of the box wasn’t particularly intriguing, but I didn’t want to be rude, so I took the tape and thanked him. “Oh,” Patrick continued, “You’re going to want to talk about it after you’ve seen it.”
I was skeptical. This was not a movie I’d have picked out for myself. I barely knew the cast. Kevin Spacey was the only actor I’d seen elsewhere. I recognized the Baldwin name but not the brother (Stephen). I had no familiarity with the film’s other Stars: Benecio del Toro, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollack, an annoying Chazz Palminteri [2], and Pete Postlethwaite. And the plot barely piqued my interest: A group of con men gather for a heist and come to learn that they are working for the mysterious Keyser Söze, a mythical figure to whom they all unknowingly owed a debt. And??? Today that sounds juicy, but at a time when I could have been watching “She’s All That” or “10 Things I Hate About You,” it was hard to get excited about a movie devoid of unnecessarily complicated High School social dilemmas. Nevertheless, I shoved the tape into my backpack and proceeded to watch it after school.
I wouldn’t say that I was riveted throughout the movie – more like somewhat curious. The dialogue and storyline were intricate enough to retain my attention as the story jumped from scene to scene. Much of the film is narrated by a rambling, monotone Spacey, so I couldn’t simply observe the characters and their actions; I had to pay careful attention to what Verbal, Spacey’s character, said had happened and then watch the actual events unfold.[3] As the movie progressed, I realized that, although I hadn’t been immediately drawn to the cast and plot, something about this gang of ne’er-do-wells was weirdly endearing.
As for this post’s namesake – Keyser Söze himself – he is arguably one of the greatest villains of all time.[4] His presence – which, in some sense, is also an absence – is palpable throughout the film, and while there are very few scenes in which the other characters acknowledge him, the idea of him is terrifying enough. In a particularly memorable scene, Verbal describes the lengths to which Söze apparently went to prove himself to his enemies. We don’t know if the recount is true – even Verbal admits that Söze became a “spook story” that criminals told their children – but it is shocking and disturbing, and it only magnifies Söze’s mystique. By the time Verbal declares, “I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Söze,” we are right there with him. The viewers and characters come to understand that Söze is beyond pure evil. He is, oddly, scarier than evil: a man with no fears, no reservations, and, worst of all, no clear identity. Fear of the unknown is debilitating. Fear of the uncertain? In the case of Keyser Söze’s existence, it’s petrifying.
“The Usual Suspects” was a particularly vindicating film to watch during High School because it demonstrated how making assumptions about others can lead to undesirable outcomes. Those assumptions arose from the movie’s manipulation of the viewer and the film’s characters. Much like my classmates and I relied on Adobe Photoshop to make images of everyday objects appear to be something other than what they were, “The Usual Suspects” manipulates its scenes and dialogues to disguise a truth that us viewers never see coming, culminating in one of the greatest four-minute movie scenes of all time.
I can’t say much more because I don’t want to spoil the movie for those who have not seen it. If that’s you, then, just as Patrick did, I’m figuratively lending you the VHS tape and advising you to go watch it as soon as you can. And if you want to talk about it afterwards (you will), I’m here. The only downside is that you can never see it for the first time twice. While forever enjoyable on rewatch, nothing is like that first viewing. So please, savor every minute. It’s what Keyser Söze would want – and you don’t want to disappoint him.
[1] Not that Spielberg needs any more props, but I do want to emphasize how fabulously entertaining “The Goonies” is. What kid doesn’t want to go on a treasure hunt at the beach? The film’s magic is entertaining to this day, and it led to a solid videogame for Nintendo and a catchy Cyndi Lauper single.
[2] Really, it was an annoying character that Chazz played, not Chazz himself.
[3] I had to deeply focus whenever del Toro spoke: he intentionally introduced a barely comprehensible accent to give his character extra panache.
[4] My go-to’s for that title are typically Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and Steerpike from Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast series.