Film Noir

The film "The Usual Suspects" (Bryan Singer, U.S.A., 1995) has a plot that circles around and around before finally hitting the mark. It is hidden under deceit, lies, and misgivings. Because everything is told from the perspective of one person, or in the first person, nothing is clear. Could that person be lying? Or is it that he is just the mere pawn of a darker and more evil force, without even realizing it. Maybe he is just giving the facts. These shades of gray are very successful in manipulating the audience's point of view. Of course all of this is accomplished through the exceptional cinematography contained in "The Usual Suspects". One of the main objectives of a film is to never let the audience escape, to never allow them to realize that it is only a movie. By way of devices such as editing, filming style, and even the musical score this film is able to do exactly that right up until the last minute with an ending that nothing could prepare you for. By examining these techniques in detail we can gain an even greater appreciation, not only for the film, but for the elements involved as well.
The film begins, "last night". Roger "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey) has been arrested for being in the location of a massive explosion on a Hungarian boat. Agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) wants to get the truth out of Kint, but Kint has already posted bail. In about two hours, he will be a free man. Kujan has Kint brought into his office where he asks Verbal to retell the story. Kint begins, and the film jumps back six weeks. An armored car filled with gun parts was hijacked, and the cops are rounding up the usual suspects: Spencer McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), Fred Fenster (Benicio Del Toro), Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollack), and Verbal Kint. They are all locked up for a few hours, and interrogated one by one. Verbal says that the cops were the ones at fault. Had they not locked up five criminals together, nothing would have happened. But...