The Usual Suspects (Digibook) – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

We’ve been so consumed with Bryan Singer’s superhero connections over the years, that we forget about this little debut film based on cons. Opened in the same summer as Batman Forever, this hard-boiled, tough guy film features a superb cast, from top to bottom, and a nice little twist, making Singer at that time, a film-maker to watch. Maybe we’ve shrugged him off due to the lackluster Superman Returns and the clever, but wooden Valkyrie, but The Usual Suspects is a fine spin on a well-played genre.

Of course, The Usual Suspects has a punch-to-the-gut ending, that usually leaves viewers talking, and it’s clever, with a good set-up, but now days I can’t help to feel as it’s just a quaint accent mark to a fine con film, instead of the exclamation point everyone else seems to think it is. I’m more concerned with the set-up: Kevin Spacey is in his usual (ahem) slippery, slimy form, predating his John Doe from Se7en, is great as the story’s narrator and the only key witness to a boat explosion killing a few people. He bounces off Chaz Palminteri, the Customs Agent. The dialogue is witty and snappy, playing as a friendly game of fencing, a key component to the film’s ultimate success.

I really hate thrillers or con films where the audience is smarter than the characters, but The Usual Suspects is too far good for this trap. The film went on to receive the Best Original Screenplay Oscar that following year, and for a good reason. It’s playful in its characterizations of the character we find in these types of films, but smart enough to will and deal them around in a fresh manner. Singer has possibly made and will make better movies, but he seems to concerned with the fun factor in his recent output than the gritty, tough-as-nails tall tale of the framework of The Usual Suspects. That what makes it funny, now in hindsight: the guy who’s stuck in the summer movie mode of film-making, made the perfect anti-summer movie in 1995…and was successful in that summer.

The Blu-ray:

[Note: This is the exact same Blu-ray presentation as the 2007 release.]

Audio/Video: So MGM Home Entertainment just slaps on a fancy new cover for the film, which isn’t a bad thing here in presentation. While the 2007 HD master was considered pretty good back then, it still holds up now, but is far from what we expect now days from our Blu-rays. Minor speckles and the dated softness to exterior shots are the print’s only negatives. We get a fine detailed print, with nice colors and blacks. The DTS is good too, but this is a dialogue driven movie, so it really doesn’t matter if its DTS or mono essentially.

Like the 2007 Blu-ray release, we get no extras. Well, if you consider Trailers as an extra, then there you go. The Digibook packaging is nice; we get some essays on the film and trivia in the attached booklet.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating:

Jon Peters

I love film. That is all.

More Posts