Movie Hall of Fame: The Usual Suspects

This was the movie. When people wanted to know what movie to rent, this was the movie. When people asked what your favorite movie was for the months that followed your initial screening, this was the movie. This was the movie that made us demand some kind of completely surprising twist at the end of any "dramatic" movie. This was the movie you wouldn't let people watch the end of if they weren't paying attention to the rest of it, because they wouldn't "get it." This was the movie.

The first time I watched it, even I didn't really get it. I mean, I was like 16, so I didn't really get much of anything, but I wasn't sure that I even liked the movie initially. But the times changed. I grew up, and began to appreciate complex storylines, and this movie really started to shine through. I liked the betrayals, the suspicions, and the investigation. Also, as a teenager, I liked the fact that the movie was about criminals and crime. There was (and to an extent still is) something about a life of crime that piques my interest.

The Usual Suspects doesn't have an all-star cast. The "headliner" is Stephen Baldwin, who's fine, but not exceptional. There are some other bright spots: Kevin Spacey is good (but not as good as the accolades he tends to get), Benicio Del Toro does a very nice job of playing a kind of loopy guy, and Chazz Palminteri plays in a much more serious role than he played in A Night at the Roxbury. But generally, it's pretty good acting and fantastic story-writing.

I'd love to tell you more about the story, but if you haven't seen it, I don't want to ruin a moment of the movie for you. I'll leave you with a couple of very vague pieces of information: it's a crime drama that you'll enjoy the first time you see it, and like it more each successive time. And once you've seen it, you'll want to discuss it with everyone around you. Just remember, the movie came out over a decade ago, so you may look foolish. But hey, you never know. You might find someone like me, who, regardless of how old something is, I love it.

(See my video game HOF choices).