The Usual Suspects

Director - Bryan Singer
Genre - Neo-Noir
Year - 1995

The Usual Suspects is a neo-noir based film, reviving the film noir of the early 20th century with an engaging storyline, a cast of characters that immediately appeal to their given audience, and a creative flair that leads the viewer into a puzzle that they must solve. The story follows that of five professional criminals, getting back together for one more job, though things take a turn for the worse, and they slowly start getting killed off by the mysterious 'Keyser Söze', a terrifying enigma whose identity remains unknown until the finishing segment of the film. The introduction to the film places the most emphasis on the film noir genre, by playing the rest of the film out as a flashback, a similar tactic deployed in both 'Double Indemnity' and 'I walked with a Zombie'. The opening is present day, with much of the film working as a monologue from one of the five criminals (and the only one to survive; Verbal), and he occasionally delves back into the current situation, where he is being interogated by the police. When he explaining what happened to his companions, the film works as a past experience, though the narrator may be unreliable in his commentary, leading the audience to not necessarily believe everything that Verbal has to say, and making us make our own assumptions over the identity of the mysterious murderer.

The opening to the film is different to many modern day films, in that it has a slow beginning designed to haunt the viewer with chilling, soaring soundscapes of violins an string instruments, the faint sound of piano notes echoing through to create an atmospheric feel. The camera during the opening spans across a mass of water, potentially a river or the sea, with lights from large skyscrapers ahead reflecting onto it during the night. We see the water moving delicately as the lights ripple upon it, the moon clearly visable through the panning shot. For most of the opening, we see the actors names, with the director (Bryan Singer) being shown last, to show his control over the piece, as if all others are under him in terms of the film. The credits appear on the screen and fade out as the camera spans, the names of those involved appearing just above the water.

Eventually, after this initial opening sequence, we see flames, with crates stacked around, and a fire clearly burning around them. The sequence is at a dockyard at this point, the ominous violins' creating tension as we see the lead character of the piece, Keaton, sitting hunched up against the box, wounded and finding it hard to breath. He has a trail of gunpowder leading to his body, and the camera pans up to reveal his face, entering a profile shot, slightly off centre. We hear diegetic sound as the footsteps of Keyser Söze appearing over the top of the quiet, melodic track, as the mysterious figure's boots are all that we see of his figure. Keaton is shown laughing, and then he speaks, the gravelly, dark voice of Keyser Söze answering him. Keaton is shown with sweat upon his forehead as the flames grow around him. The two of them engage in conversation for a little longer, and then Keyser Söze produces a gun and shoots Keaton. He then walks away, lighting a match and dropping it on the gunpowder, to eliminate any trace of evidence. An explosion is then seen as the entire shipyard goes up, and then the film begins with Verbal's monologue.

The scene at the dockyard is a scene used far later in the film, but one that immediately raises questions. We want to know who Keyser Söze is, why Keaton was injured, and what the two of them were doing at the harbour. The questions are answered across the course of the film, and this opening sequence acts as a way to draw the viewer in, and offering an insight into what the film will entail.