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Blu-Ray : Don't Double Dip
Ranking:
Sale Price: $36.88 Last Price: $ Buy now! 3rd Party 33 In Stock
Release Date: May 10th, 2011 Movie Release Year: 1995

The Usual Suspects (Digibook)

Overview -

The world of Blu-ray has grown better and better since Peter reviewed this film's video and audio quality in 2007. While his actual review of the elements still holds up, the star scores have been adjusted slightly in order to give you an idea of how this movie's presentation compares with other more recent Blu-rays.

Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Benicio Del Toro lead an all-star cast that includes Stephen Baldwin and Gabriel Byrne in the "freshest, funniest and scariest crime thriller since Pulp Fiction." (Rolling Stone). A band of small-time criminals becomes entangled in the merciless scheme of an unseen underworld kingpin.

OVERALL:
Don't Double Dip
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
BD-25 Single-Layer Disc
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p/MPEG-2
Length:
122
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.35:1
Audio Formats:
Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH, English, Spanish
Special Features:
Theatrical Trailer
Release Date:
May 10th, 2011

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Bryan Singer's 'The Usual Suspects' is an elaborate cinematic con where the victim is not only surprised that he's been conned, but that he admires the con artist.

It was the summer of 1995, and Hollywood's summer-season dance card was filled with oversold, overblown films like 'Waterworld,' 'Judge Dredd' and 'Batman Forever.' And while 'Il Postino' kept the cineaste crowd buzzing, there was really nothing staking out the middle ground -- a movie smart enough for adults and cool enough for older kids. That is, until 'The Usual Suspects' became a surprise hit thanks to its hard-boiled dialogue, macho posturing and director Singer's ability to make a dense, dizzying storyline (almost) completely comprehensible. And while it's certainly possible to enjoy the film by letting it simply wash over you, the real fun comes in accepting Singer and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie's challenge, which requires the viewer to unravel a complicated, tightly-folded origami of a plot.

The film is told partially in flashback by Verbal Kint (Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey), the only witness to a San Pedro boat explosion the previous evening. As he explains to Customs Agent Dave Kojan (Chaz Palminteri), Kint met four other "usual suspects" in a police lineup six weeks earlier. In addition to Verbal, the group consists of ex-cop Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Hockney (Kevin Pollack) and Fenster (Benecio Del Toro). While in lockup, they decide to pull a job together, which eventually takes them to Los Angeles, where they're forced into the employ of Hungarian crime lord Keyser Soze, who is so mythic a figure that no one is sure he really exists. Of course, in Singer's tightly-coiled world, nothing happens by coincidence and Soze really does exist... or does he?

Summarizing 'The Usual Suspects' is a bit like writing Cliffs Notes for 'The Big Sleep' on the back of a cocktail napkin. But that's what's most impressive about Singer in this film -- he has complete mastery over what he's trying to accomplish. You may not understand it yourself, but at least you have total confidence that Singer does. And allowing Del Toro to perform with a ridiculous, practically unintelligible accent shows an amazing amount of courage for a director attempting a mainstream breakout.

Of course, all lines lead to the celebrated ending, which comes like a sucker-punch to the gut. Unlike the ending in 'The Sixth Sense,' after which everything that came before it fell into place, the ending here makes the viewer want to see the whole movie again to further understand the endlessly complicated story. Indeed, watching the film multiple times is a consistently rewarding experience, presenting performance nuances and bits of information lost in a single viewing.

'The Usual Suspects' won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. Singer went on to direct the surprisingly good 'X-Men' films, and the surprisingly bad 'Superman Returns.' But his best movie remains 'The Usual Suspects,' a mystery where lies -- not clues -- lead to the truth.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

The new Digibook Edition of 'The Usual Suspects' comes with a slight repackaging of the old 25GB Blu-ray Disc, and the same transfer that was used when it was first released on Blu-ray. What you'll be getting here is the Digibook packaging complete with a 24-page booklet about the movie. The booklet has a couple essays discussing the surprising nature of the movie and its signature twist ending. The actors have their normal filmographies included. It's your basic Digibook, but anyone who was hoping for a remaster of the old Blu-ray will end up disappointed.

Video Review

Ranking:

'The Usual Suspects' has made a few trips to DVD over the years, but this Blu-ray release is by far the best yet. Presented in 1080p/MPEG-2 video, this is an excellent transfer that offers a noticeably superior upgrade over any previous video version.

Granted, the source print is not absolutely pristine, but it's close. There are a few speckles here or there, but for a movie now over a dozen years old (and produced on a fairly low-budget in the first place), I was still impressed. Somehow the presentation remains quite natural, despite the use of softening filters and some very high-key lighting (lots of bright white overhead spots, a la classic film noir). Colors are supple, from the very vivid red of Benecio Del Toro's horrific shirt to the steely gray-blues of the Chazz Palminteri and Kevin Spacey interrogation room scenes. Detail remains quite strong -- there is real depth and pop to the image, with only a slightly dated look to some of the exteriors. I was also relieved that the transfer remained so sharp yet without any apparent edge enhancement -- the image is smooth and clean throughout. No significant disappointments here -- 'The Usual Suspects' looks great.

Audio Review

Ranking:

Keizer Soze and friends get the DTS HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 treatment on Blu-ray. Despite all the fancy wordplay, however, even such high-resolution audio can't do much to jazz up the proceedings. 'The Usual Suspects' sounds just fine, but nothing more.

To be fair, as it is easy to forget given how much success it has generated over the years, this low-budget film is really an indie movie. The original DVD mix was only 2.0; the film was subsequently remixed for a recent two-disc special edition, which was noticeably superior. However, this DTS HD upgrade isn't that dynamic. The soundstage was nicely opened-up with the remaster, which is immediately apparent with the opening sequence and the more action-oriented Keyser Soze moments. The rears have a fairly strong presence, with frequent bursts of discrete effects. Low bass is supple, with spacious mid-range and clean highs. Dialogue too, has been nicely boosted.

That said, the mix can hardly compare to, say, 'Planet of the Apes' (which Fox released on Blu-ray the same day as 'Suspects') -- 'Suspects' just isn't active enough, or consistently immersive. Still, it holds up nicely given its age and budget, so I can't imagine fans will be disappointed with this one.

Special Features

Ranking:

This would have been the perfect time for Fox and MGM to include the special features from 'The Usual Suspects' DVD, alas they didn't. This is still a stink-bomb of a special features package which only includes a few trailers.

Final Thoughts

'The Usual Suspects' is a twisty, curvy thriller and the best modern crime noir of our time. Too bad MGM once again gives this Blu-ray release the shaft in terms of extras. All that's new here is the digibook packaging, but is it enough to justify a $34.98 list price? The answer still is "no." MGM, you need to start doing a lot better in offering real value for money.