Bryan Singer: His Films Ranked From Worst To Best

It was on his 1995 sophomore movie that the name Bryan Singer was really introduced to the world at large - and the world was very happy to meet him. The Usual Suspects arrived in the wake of Tarantino, who had reinvigorated the crime thriller with his first two movies; but Singer took the genre to new, mythic heights through his effortlessly cool vision, and legendarily twist-laden story.

This was arguably the key film in getting Singer the X-Men gig, as it demonstrated his skill at handling multiple protagonists, without any one character really taking the lead. Gabriel Byrne continued his 1990s winning streak as ex-cop turned criminal Dean Keaton; Stephen Baldwin gave perhaps his last (if not only) credible performance as the hot-headed McManus; Benico del Toro became a star overnight as the incomprehensible Fenster; and Kevin Pollak oozes droll bravado as Hockney.

Of course, the real star turn comes from Kevin Spacey as Verbal. The role made him an acting legend, although (without meaning to slight the actor's efforts) he owes a tremendous debt to Christopher McQuarrie's script for giving him so rich a role to handle. Seemingly the weakest link, Verbal proves to have considerably more than meets the eye, and winds up one of the most fascinating characters of 90s cinema.

The various minor clues as to the truth about Verbal are scattered throughout. The climactic revelation may have brought twist endings into fashion (we suspect M Night Shyamalan saw this a few times), but it's no cheap gimmick in this case; rather, it's a vital element in what makes the film so fascinating, and endlessly rewatchable to this day.

Above his other more adult films, The Usual Suspects is the one that's most liable to leave you wishing Singer would do a few less blockbusters and a few more grown-up movies nowadays. And the director himself clearly holds the film in particular esteem, as the iconic line-up shot is the logo of his production company Bad Hat Harry.