View Full Version : The Usual Suspects, Ending. Huh??
nemesisalive
07-09-2002, 00:42
Saw for the first time The Usual Suspects the other day, I admit I was tired when I saw it, but what the hell was the ending all about. I 'got it' up until the last 10 mins. Can someone explain it, I cant make heads or tails of it.
Watch it again. :dork:
Seriously - and make sure you are not tired. :nono:
nemesisalive
07-09-2002, 00:45
what will it all sorta make sense the next time? At this rate I pain myself to watch it, becasue I might not understand it full stop :o
wonderpants
07-09-2002, 00:57
The more you watch this film the more you love it, you will pick up more details everytime.
Originally posted by wonderpants
The more you watch this film the more you love it, you will pick up more details everytime.
Yep, that's true, the film gets better every time you watch, it's one of my faves.
The special edition of this film is a must buy.
As for not understanding the ending its not that difficult is it? I think you should just watch it again - try and keep awake this time!
Spacy was Sozeye i hope :D
Well, it's debatable wether there is a Soze or not. But if there is it's him. If you get me. Which you don't ;)
KeyserSoze
07-09-2002, 11:47
Spacey is not Soze, I am.
Sozer is teh gh3y!!!1111 :nuts:
Originally posted by KeyserSoze
Spacey is not Soze, I am.
It's neither of you, it was really Jimmy Hill!!:D
So who's the Pete Postlethwaite character? Presumably he's not Kobayashi... or maybe he's the owner of a coffee mug company? :D
The Bear
07-09-2002, 15:34
Spacey is Soze. Pete Postlethwaite works for Keyzer Soze, but Kobayashi is not his real name. Spacey gave him that from the bottom of the coffee cup.
Sandeep C.
15-03-2008, 21:46
This is one of those films I've put off from seeing for the last 10 years or so! Mainly because I already knew the ending. Still a great film, but I wish I could have gotten the opportunity to watch it without knowing the final scene. I can imagine it being pretty special for first time watchers.
pigpicker
15-03-2008, 22:08
I remember watching it for the first time in 1996 not knowing anything about it then staring open-mouthed at the screen for about 5 minutes after the end while it all sank in.
It remains, for me, probably the best film I've ever seen and it gets better each time I watch it. Even now!
MarcusUK
15-03-2008, 22:21
I remember watching it for the first time in 1996 not knowing anything about it then staring open-mouthed at the screen for about 5 minutes after the end while it all sank in.
It remains, for me, probably the best film I've ever seen and it gets better each time I watch it. Even now!
I was in the same boat. Just happened to watch it on sky one night and was just amazed by the ending. I was telling everyone I knew to watch it after that :lol:
Wish I could wipe the part of my memory that has the ending. Would love to watch it again without knowing the ending.
Terribly_Mauled
15-03-2008, 22:24
It is the greatest use of the technique commonly known as 'the unreliable narrator' ever done, period. You simply have to love a film that ***** you over after sitting there for two hours. Just genius.
Watching it now, I can't help but shake the feeling that it actually makes no narrative sense at all. Brilliant ending, and I'm glad I saw it blind, as it were. Best thing about it was that I saw the trailer many times before seeing the film and it didn't give nowt away about it, which I'm not sure would happen now as every other film must have a twist of sorts.
"In a world where you can trust no-one, they're working for the devil himself but who is he really? (while on close up of all the main characters) etc etc"
GProject
16-03-2008, 01:13
Wish I could wipe the part of my memory that has the ending. Would love to watch it again without knowing the ending.
Aww, so do I. You see, this is what we need the Eternal Sunshine technology for. Forget trying to erase bad releationships - I want to un-remember who Tyler Durden is!
(Also, erase who killed John G, if you've got time).
Never liked it. The ending was a bit too silly for me. Spacey's character was so far removed from Keyser Soze it felt to me like it insulted the audience's inteligence. It would be like Gail Platt turning around on wednesday and announcing she's (dah, dah, dah) a serial killing heroin user.
Oh, and only the dialogue in the Die Hard films embarrasses me more in terms of macho, willy waving dialogue.
KeyserSoze
16-03-2008, 10:02
Never liked it. The ending was a bit too silly for me. Spacey's character was so far removed from Keyser Soze it felt to me like it insulted the audience's inteligence. It would be like Gail Platt turning around on wednesday and announcing she's (dah, dah, dah) a serial killing heroin user.
Thats precisely the point isn't it?
pigpicker
16-03-2008, 10:48
Thats precisely the point isn't it?
Yea exactly.
He's acting the part of Verbal Kent so why not make it as far away from the image of Keyser Soze as possible?
If Verbal Kent was a bad-ass phsychopathic fear-mongerer surely one of the cops would have said ... "hang on a minute ... "
Always felt odd to me as Pete Postlethwaite's character had a Japanese name - alerted me very early on that it might be made up.
Fever Dawg
16-03-2008, 11:08
Might want to add some spoiler tags there Pigpicker.
Love this film.
In response to the OP, my interpretation has always been that Spacey was obviously Soze and the events and story he told were true but he'd just changed the names/places involved by using things that he saw in Kujan's office?
MrSynner
16-03-2008, 11:20
I've always thought that the whole point of the film is that everything Spaceys character says could well be a complete fabrication from beginning to end. Only the stuff you find out independently of his narrative can be trusted. And the only thing you find about his character is that he is a confidence trickster. Or to put it another way - a liar.
pigpicker
16-03-2008, 11:21
Spoilers?? For a film that came out 13 yrs ago??!?!?
Mind you on the flip-side I'd hate to spoil the ending of this great film for someone who may have just come out of cryogenic stasis so I will spoiler it up.
;)
To be fair, the thread title is "The Usual Suspects, Ending. Huh??". If someone who hasn't seen it clicks in then they deserve to have it ruined. :doh:
Fever Dawg
16-03-2008, 11:49
I've always thought that the whole point of the film is that everything Spaceys character says could well be a complete fabrication from beginning to end. Only the stuff you find out independently of his narrative can be trusted. And the only thing you find about his character is that he is a confidence trickster. Or to put it another way - a liar.
I'd believe that it could all have been a fabrication if it wasn't for the Hungarian in the hospital. He said that 'Soze' was on the boat 'killing many men' and gave the description of Kint/Soze that led to the artistic impression of Spacey being faxed through to Kujan at the end. That proved that Kint was slightly more than a confidence trickster
Fever Dawg
16-03-2008, 11:53
To be fair, the thread title is "The Usual Suspects, Ending. Huh??". If someone who hasn't seen it clicks in then they deserve to have it ruined. :doh:
Yeah, I suppose so and it was only a suggestion regarding the spoiler tags. I guess I just know how angry people can get on these forums about it :D
Spoilers?? For a film that came out 13 yrs ago??!?!?
Mind you on the flip-side I'd hate to spoil the ending of this great film for someone who may have just come out of cryogenic stasis so I will spoiler it up.
;)
I agree with the post below, but not this one. "Don't Look Now" came out in 1973 and I'd hate to have had that ruined.
Your basically saying "if you haven't seen it by now tough ****";)
Yea exactly.
He's acting the part of Verbal Kent so why not make it as far away from the image of Keyser Soze as possible?
If Verbal Kent was a bad-ass phsychopathic fear-mongerer surely one of the cops would have said ... "hang on a minute ... "
There could have been a middle ground. It was too pantomime.
The Bear
16-03-2008, 15:36
Still the best use of the twist ending I've seen. The shot of his walk that changes from lame to normal is superb.
Every Hollywood thriller/horror film seems to have one thrown in as a matter of course nowadays which softens the effects of them now as it's done far too often.
ceiberman
16-03-2008, 15:50
I'd always viewed it as MrSynner described, although Fever Dawg does make a very good point.
The Hungarian does appear to identify Spacey as Soze, but none of the other characters or events can be verified and could well be part of Verbal's fiction. Whether the Hungarian is referring to the events we have been shown is also up for debate I guess - all we really have is Verbal's version as far as I remember.....
That said, it has been a couple of years since I last saw it and my memory could well be playing tricks on me.
Verbal has 20/20 vision. No way could I read all that crap at that distance
and
It's all made up, fancy that
:D
I've always thought that the whole point of the film is that everything Spaceys character says could well be a complete fabrication from beginning to end. Only the stuff you find out independently of his narrative can be trusted. And the only thing you find about his character is that he is a confidence trickster. Or to put it another way - a liar.
That's my problem with it, there isn't a whole lot left if you discount the flashbacks.
Fever Dawg
17-03-2008, 06:36
Apart from a harbour full of dead people, a chargrilled Hungarian eye-witness, a dead-ringer photo-fit of Spacey and then a grinning Pete Postelthwaite to top things off? Nah, nowt much to suggest that all the events actually happened there.
:D
MrSynner
17-03-2008, 18:16
What I'm saying is - what you see happen onscreen is most likely NOT what 'actually' happened. That is the rug that is yanked from under you at the end of the movie.
Soze exists, sure. Whether or not he is Kint, or Kobayashi - that's another question.....
bruce-leroy
17-03-2008, 21:25
I watched it again recently, I think it may be the 2nd or 3rd time since I first saw it on initial release, and I found it a little boring to be honest. Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind.
rustybin
17-03-2008, 21:51
I remember having to spend at least 1-2 hours having to explain the ending of this film to my (ex)girlfriend. Bless her.
AKPiggott
17-03-2008, 22:43
The ambiguity of the ending is the best thing about it because everyone has a slightly different interpretation but it has far more shades of grey than whether or not Deckard is a replicant.
I just finished watching again (first time since original release :D ).
Man, Stephen Baldwin was thin in those days compared to what you see on US Celeb Apprentice. Have to say that the film is superb though. Then ending basically is a double twist and messes with your mind.
First, the penny drops that Keaton is Soze! Of course! He's just the type.
Then, it's, oh no. It's Kint?!! OMG!!!!
Brilliant filmmaking.
MaxNutter
21-03-2008, 14:18
the only problem with the film is that i guessed it was Spacey straight away after Se7ev, but found the story engaging enough to forget about it and enjoy ...
the only problem with the film is that i guessed it was Spacey straight away after Se7ev, but found the story engaging enough to forget about it and enjoy ...That's precisely why Kevin Spacey's name isn't in the Se7en opening credits. It just unfortunate you seen them in the wrong order.
AKPiggott
21-03-2008, 14:39
the only problem with the film is that i guessed it was Spacey straight away after Se7ev
How though? The two films have nothing to do with each other.
GProject
23-03-2008, 01:03
That's precisely why Kevin Spacey's name isn't in the Se7en opening credits. It just unfortunate you seen them in the wrong order.
I thought they were further apart, but imdb suggests that there were only a few months in 95/96 between UK releases of Suspects and Se7en (He was in Outbreak that year too). Luckily, they were released in the 'right' order - the order that doesn't allow you to pin Spacey as the bad guy.
Fever Dawg
23-03-2008, 08:25
How though? The two films have nothing to do with each other.
I guess it's just about your perception of the actor. If you've just seen him playing a psychotic killer then I'd presume you'd be a little more suspicious about his character in The Usual Suspects .... whereas Spacey was relatively unknown to most people who saw TUS at the time of it's release and wouldn't have that association.
MaxNutter
23-03-2008, 13:58
That's precisely why Kevin Spacey's name isn't in the Se7en opening credits. It just unfortunate you seen them in the wrong order.
true, but as i said, it didn't detract from my viewing experience too much ...
I totally love this film. I only ever saw it on DVD as never got round to seeing it at the cinema. And then, only watched it as a mate who has the same sort of film taste watched it and then every time I saw him kept going on and on about it, and that I NEED to watch it. Needless to say that when I did I thanked him as it's a classic :)
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts-%26-entertainment/spacey-to-host-%27i-am-keyser-soze%27-on-bbc1-20080331833/
:lol:
DrVenkman
03-01-2009, 17:05
Spoilers below, though I don't know why we're still spoiling it, and frankly its about the ending of the film so if you've not seen it then you deserve to have it spoiled.
The thing is though is that it's not clear that Spacey is Soze really. It's always referred to as that twist that Kint was really Soze all the long but he can't be. He's not Turkish for a start. There's as much evidence that Postlethwaite is Soze as there is Kint.
The twist, surely, is that Kint makes it all up. Soze is just a myth and its never really established that he's a real person to begin with.
If someone had told me that Kevin Spacey was Keyser Soze before I watched the movie then I'd have felt the movie was spoiled. That's enough for me to be convinced that he is. I know you can't accept anything Spacey says at face value, but there are certain comments that indicate he is ("the greatest trick the devil ever pulled..." etc).
DrVenkman
03-01-2009, 17:36
That doesn't prove anything. He's called 'Verbal' for a reason but the film was designed with that ambiguity in mind. There's actually nothing there to say that Spacey is Soze. You would've considered the movie spoilt if someone said "AH he just made the whole thing up" as well.
You can't rely on any of Verbals words, only his actions. And all we know for sure is that he lied.
Plus if you were this master criminal would you come that close to being caught?
Raigmore
03-01-2009, 17:51
Then ending basically is a double twist and messes with your mind.
IMO the ending is a double mess that twists one's already irritated mind. Have seen this film 3 times just to check what the fuss was all about and whether I had missed something. Frankly, I got mored bored with each viewing. It seems to be one of those new breed of pseudo-intellectual American movies where the scriptwriter pretends that he or she invented lateral thinking. A small, shallow idea pretending to be something profound by borrowing a phrase from Casablanca and throwing in a messy plot.
Kevin Spacey is one of the best and most talented actors to come out of Hollywood but this is certainly not one of his best films IMO.
I don't think there's much ambiguity in the ending that Verbal is Kobayashi's boss (though the Kobayashi of his story is undoubtedly fictionalized--including the name--from the real character played by Postlethwaite who picks him up on the street), and the guy responsible for the (independently documented) crimes. He is the brutal boss of a criminal organization. And although a lot of the details about Keyser Soze are obviously fiction, it does seem like it's a cover name or fictional identity actually used by Verbal in that role.
So in that sense, I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that Verbal "is" Keyser Soze.
marshy2004
04-01-2009, 08:08
And don't forget the horribly burned Hungarian at the hospital who describes Keyser Soze as looking remarkably like Verbal Kint.
AKPiggott
04-01-2009, 11:52
Soze could just be a label used by many criminals/consters to throw the authorities. Like the Red Hood character in the Batman comics.
BlueDwarf
04-01-2009, 13:05
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts-%26-entertainment/spacey-to-host-%27i-am-keyser-soze%27-on-bbc1-20080331833/
:lol:
Seems a little high brow for the BBC.
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