10 More Smartest Villain Plans In Movies

You could argue that the best villains, or at the very least the smartest villains, are the ones who are never caught. In the case of The Usual Suspects, Keyser Söze (Kevin Spacey) went to great lengths to ensure that he remained elusive, even when he was actually brought into police custody.

The name of Keyser Söze became something of a myth in both the criminal underworld and the circles of law enforcement, but no one could ever claim to know who he was. This was the first step of brilliance, Söze always kept a middleman between himself and anyone he worked with. Often people were working in his employ and didn't even realise it, making it impossible for him to be implicated.

This middleman, a lawyer by the name of "Kobayashi" (Pete Postlethwaite) if Söze himself was to be believed, ensured that none of the untrustworthy characters he worked with could ever bring him down. He was untouchable.

Even when he did find himself in police custody, he had the presence of mind to spin a tale of lies that saw him walk right out of the door. The man under the guise of Verbal Kint strung along Special Agent Kujan during an interrogation with a story pulled out of thin air, with a little inspiration from the bulletin board in the office, selling the ghost story of Söze while earning his own freedom. Kujan may have eventually suspected the truth, but by that time it was far too late. Verbal Kint was gone, as was his limp.