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The Usual Suspects
Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
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  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. San Francisco Examiner
    Reviewed by: G. Allen Johnson
    100
    This movie has everything but Humphrey Bogart, and I'm sure he's sorry he was unavailable.
  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    100
    The Usual Suspects is an ironic, bang-up thriller about the wages of crime. A terrific cast of exciting actors socks over this absorbingly complicated yarn that's been spun in a seductively slick fashion by director Bryan Singer.
  4. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: Jack Kroll
    90
    This one's done right. Here's an intelligent movie with no special effects. You have to pay close attention, to listen hard to its cross-fires of dialogue.
  5. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    89
    A movie with style to burn, and, initially, that is this crime drama's most mesmerizing aspect.
  6. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    88
    The Usual Suspects is an accomplished synthesis of noir elements and, as such, is an entertaining entry to the genre.
  7. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    88
    The Usual Suspects filled me with a highly unusual urge - to be a true "reviewer," to rewind the projector and figure out this humdinger once and for all.
  8. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    88
    Dense, ironic and thoroughly engrossing caper melodrama.
  9. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: F. X. Feeney
    85
    Byrne is a stand-up poet the way some actors are stand-up comics. His innate depth prompts The Usual Suspects to transcend its own cleverness--and this is the movie's smartest, least predictable surprise.
  10. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Michael Sragow
    80
    For my money, The Usual Suspects was the pulp fiction of the '90s.
  11. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Andy Spletzer
    80
    I liked this film better the second time around.
    All this publication's reviews
  12. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    80
    The Usual Suspects is a maze that moviegoers will be happy to get lost in, a criminal roller coaster with twists so unsettling no choice exists but to hold on and go along for the ride.
  13. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Elvis Mitchell
    80
    Goes straight to cult status without quite touching one important base: the audience's emotions. This movie finally isn't anything move than an intricate feat of gamesmanship, but it's still quite something to see. [16 August 1995, p. C15]
    All this critic's reviews
  14. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hal Hinson
    80
    This thriller is like a game of life-and-death chess, with quick double-crosses and wild gambits.
  15. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    75
    Dense with plot intricacies, thick with atmosphere, and packed with showy roles for a hip ensemble.
  16. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Sean Means
    70
    Something quite different: A movie that's smarter than you are.
    All this critic's reviews
  17. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Tom Keogh
    70
    Snappy heist film that keeps changing the rules of a mystery so that one is never sure whose hands are at the controls.
    All this critic's reviews
  18. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    63
    Look out for everything, and listen, too, because Suspects is one of the most densely plotted mysteries in memory.
  19. 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.
  20. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    Self-consciously bleak.
  21. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    50
    Nothing more than an over-designed lobster pot. After following the beckoning twists and turns, you're left trapped and more than a little disappointed for getting in so deep.
  22. 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.
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 107 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. 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.… Full Review »
  2. evilgenius
    10
    This movie isn't perfect in every sense, but I do believe it deserves a perfect score. Everything has a low-budget, early Tarantino-esque feel, which is good for two reasons: First, the story and acting have to carry the movie and they do so superbly. Secondly, the aura of simplicity adds to the feel of realism: instead of special effects and sleekness, one gets to feel as if there, with the characters. Without spoiling too much, I can say that this is one of the cleverest movies I've ever seen. So many details add together in subtle ways, allowing the viewer to slowly but surely come to conclusions just seconds before the characters do too. It never feels forced or obvious, yet the director manages to guide us through a mental maze. Apart from Spacey who is sublime, I believe that Byrne and Palminteri both diserve lots of credit, even though Palminteri's character has little depth, the actor plays the role to it's full potential, secretly enabling the story to go the way it goes. Overall, it's not a movie everyone will find fantastic, but if you're into the criminal heroes / messing with your mind kind of thriller, boy, are you in for a ride.… Full Review »
  3. 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.… Full Review »
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