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MOVIE

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Directed by Bryan Singer•1h 46m•Published Aug 25, 2020•Episode length 1h 53m
Episode 25 - The Usual Suspects
DramaCrimeThriller

Top cast

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Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Baldwin
McManus
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel Byrne
Keaton
Benicio del Toro
Benicio del Toro
Fenster
Kevin Pollak
Kevin Pollak
Hockney
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Verbal
Chazz Palminteri
Chazz Palminteri
Dave Kujan
Pete Postlethwaite
Pete Postlethwaite
Kobayashi
Suzy Amis
Suzy Amis
Edie Finneran
Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Esposito
Jack Baer
Dan Hedaya
Dan Hedaya
Jeff Rabin

Director

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Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
Director
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Overview

Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.

Show notes

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Who is Keyser Söze? Is Keaton alive or dead? Where is Kobayashi's accent from? Are we still allowed to love this movie? All very good questions and ones that we dive into as we tackle the Christopher McQuarrie penned script that had 'the best plot twist of all-time' according to the voters at IMDb, in "The Usual Suspec…

Read full show notes

Who is Keyser Söze?  Is Keaton alive or dead?  Where is Kobayashi's accent from?  Are we still allowed to love this movie?  All very good questions and ones that we dive into as we tackle the Christopher McQuarrie penned script that had 'the best plot twist of all-time' according to the voters at IMDb, in "The Usual Suspects."  Join your favourite transatlantic podcasting duo - Ian & Liam – as we lean back and take it all in from coagulated urine to cigarette flicks, location shifts and behind-the-scenes drama, and somehow we ended up with a film that is a very real contender for best film ever.  We've got Ellie joining visiting us as a special agent as we interrogate the Brian Singer/Kevin Spacey mob movie.  It's a red herring of a 25th episode as we discuss:

  • How exactly do you pronounce Kaiser Soze, and what is its origin?
  • Why did the location jump from New York to Los Angeles really?
  • Which two members of the cast openly admit to hating each other in real life due to events that happened on the set of this film?
  • Is there a better walking sequence filmed than the one featured in this film?
  • The problem with unreliable narrators and how The Usual Suspects is more satisfying with this technique than Joker was 
  • How can you call Kevin Spacey a supporting actor in this film?
  • Whether or not The Usual Suspects is the Best Film Ever