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The Usual Suspects
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Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 107 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Chazz Palminteri, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey
  • Summary: Five career criminals in New York are rounded up for a standard police line-up. After release, they get together for a bit of revenge by pulling off a $3 million emerald heist. This scheme brings them to the attention of an underworld crime figure who convinces them to do a highly dangerous job.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    100
    A near-classic blend of mystery, personality, humor and terror, laced with one stunning shock after another. [18 August 1995, Friday, p.C]
    All this critic's reviews
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Frank Lovece
    60
    Screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie's tough-guy dialogue and Bryan Singer's crisp direction give the ensemble cast every opportunity to shine, and they do.
  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    38
    To the degree that you will want to see this movie, it will be because of the surprise, and so I will say no more, except to say that the "solution," when it comes, solves little - unless there is really little to solve, which is also a possibility.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Jon-Ryo
    10
    Quite simply one of the best movies ever made. Kevin Spacey puts in a sensational performance and the supporting cast also do a great job of making it believable. One of my all time favourite films, and one of the best films ever.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. grandpajoe6191
    8
    "The Usual Suspects" has a misleading storyline with limited settings applied throughout the movie. However, it is Brian Singer's clever direction associated with a two-face performance by Kevin Spacey that made the Climax of the movie possible.… Expand
    • 4 of 4 users said yes
  3. J-Shap
    4
    An ugly word that often gets unfairly tossed around in film criticism is manipulative. This word seems like sudden death for any movie, and is often used to describe a film that tries to play to the emotions of its audience. A more accurate way of using this term is a film that has little confidence in what it does and simply tries to throw things at the audience, hoping for validity. The Usual Suspects is a great example. While it certainly does paint an interesting picture, the characters are stock, and without interesting play between the players, it over compensates with plot twists and story holes, mixed rather uninspired interrogation scenes. There is little to enjoy in The Usual Suspects other than trying to put together its story, and once you do that you realize it is not even an interesting story, but simply feeds the audience so little, that there is little payoff to learning the surprises.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 42 User Reviews

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