“The Usual Suspects” has a great cast, and, to a certain extent, it is an ensemble piece but this is the vehicle that made Kevin Spacey a BIG star and got him an Oscar as well. The plot … some crooks are pulled in for a line up, and they all get together after to do a job and … The job goes tits up. Meanwhile, behind the scenes a terrifying, almost mythical Hungarian gangster called Keyser Soze is pulling the strings or is he? and  … who is he ?

I can only imagine that this film has its routes in Europe as it has a European feel to it. The supporting cast of Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Torro, Kevin Pollack, Chaz Palminteri and Pete Postlethwaite are beautifully cast and do a super job. There is sting in the tail and I won’t tell you what it is because it would lessen your enjoyment. This feels like a “guy” film to me and I would doubt if many women would put this in their top ten movies of all time. This is not a sexist remark, as most guys would not put “Pretty Woman” in their top 10 either. No way. Men and women ARE different .. my mum told me.

Pete Postlethwaite’s Indian (was it Indian ?) accent was criticised in some quarters but I thought it was OK, and certainly better than that of Peter Sellers.

This film is in my top 10 of all time and must be viewed (by me) at least once a year. Great plot, great dialogue, quite a lot of throw-away humour, a sting in the tail and great direction by Brian Singer. What do you want from a movie ? … The meaning of life? This movie does not tell you the meaning of life. This is a great yarn, brilliantly told … My kind of film.