10 Classic Movies That Are (If Anything) Underrated
2. The Usual Suspects
Why Do People Think Its Overrated? The first thing people talk about when it comes to The Usual Suspects is the twist. In fact, it's often all they talk about. In the final scene, Verbal Kint, Kevin Spacey's nervous, disabled small time crook, is revealed to be King of the Underworld Keyser Söze. It's right up there with the Statue of Liberty sticking out of the sand and Mrs. Bates skeleton in the basement as a gleefully brilliant rug-pull, as well known now as it was utterly surprising upon first viewing. But all too often this single aspect dwarfs the rest of the film, dismissed as its singularly winning trait. And then there's the people who suggest that, as the previous ninety minutes had been a fiction, the movie is rendered worthless on rewatch. Why Isnt It? OK, so the twist does mean that the "flashback" portion of the movie didn't happen (at least not totally as represented), but that's not the point. The film's been exploring the nature of storytelling, with Kint presenting a version of events that aligns with Agent Kujan's suspicions just enough that the customs investigator will overlook key details and even reinterpret the narrative to fit with what he wants. Once you accept that, there's nothing stopping you enjoying the film for the expert piece of filmmaking it is. Every word in Christopher McQuarrie's screenplay is essential, always working at building distinct, well-rounded characters that betray their "usual" archetypes or lending the personality-driven crime story a sense of scale. And that's saying nothing of Bryan Singer's direction. He may have found blockbuster fame with X-Men, but The Usual Suspects was what really showed he was a natural behind the camera.
