The Usual Suspects (1995)

This one is the real schizzle. No jokes, no hyperbole. This is one of those perfect crime capers, where not only a great cast but especially clever writing and editing make the whole so much more than just a run-of-the-mill story.

It's either that, or Keyser Söze will find you and trust me: you do not want that.

But maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

For nor real reason, five known criminals are thrown together for a police line-up concerning the theft of a truck with guns. They know of each other, but they do not really know each other. Whilst incarcerated, a plan is hatched to steal emeralds and at the same time stick one to the New York Police. The heist goes as planned, no one dies, they decide to fence the emeralds. And it is here that the story and plot thickens. Because in comes a lawyer called Kobayashi, who says they all have unwittingly stolen something from a crime boss called Keyser Söze, a name that is mythical and one that instills fear in everyone's hearts. They are supposed to track down 91 million dollars worth of cocain money on a boat, but things mayhap are not what they seem...

What makes this film stand out from so many others is the great writing. The characters are clearly defined, the situation seems crystal and yet, there is so much more going on. Every time you watch this one, it gets better, even though the initial shock of the denouement can never be replicated. But it makes you pay attention to other details.

One of the reasons this all works, is because most of it is presented through flashbacks, seeing as one of the criminals (Verbal Kint) is relaying the story to an officer of US Customs, who has been hunting this Keyser Söze for several years now.

The main players, or at least the ones we as a viewer spend most of our time with, are portrayed by Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne. So you get two top notch actors that give it their all. The supporting cast is also pretty good, with Chazz Palminteri as the officer who is giving Verbal the dressing down.

It's hard to talk too much about this one and not give away things crucial to the plot, so I won't elaborate too much this time around.

Suffice to say: this is a must watch.