Singer has an obvious grasp of craft, but it's far less clear whether he has anything to say about movies, violence, the world, or his place in the world.

| Dec 27, 2022

An imaginative, entertaining crime mystery with plenty of nerve and vigor.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 18, 2013

If the pleasures of The Usual Suspects are the more superficial ones of ingenuity and style, those are abundantly available. The twists and turns of the plot are an awful lot of fun, while the ending is genuinely satisfying and surprising.

| Jun 18, 2013

In a season of fat blockbusters, a picture as brainy, bitter, and compact as this one comes as a shock and a treat.

| Jun 18, 2013

It's a nerve-shredding suspense movie about corruption, a bravura actor's show full of deliciously twisted cops and robbers, and a complex riddle packed with unexpected turns.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Jun 18, 2013

For many true movie fiends, noir is the key American movie type, and the most fun when it's done right. The Usual Suspects is done right.

| Jan 18, 2013

I didn't believe this story for a minute, even in movie terms -- though it's less offensive than a piece of junk like Apt Pupil, Singer's subsequent feature.

| Mar 28, 2011

A terrific cast of exciting actors socks over this absorbingly complicated yarn that's been spun in seductively slick fashion by director Bryan Singer.

Full Review | Oct 18, 2008

Singer creates a classy, thought-provoking mystery that is pleasingly old-fashioned and absolutely modern in the sly, slightly self-conscious play it makes with myth and methods of storytelling.

| Jun 24, 2006

This movie finally isn't anything more than an intricate feat of gamesmanship, but it's still quite something to see.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 20, 2003

The Usual Suspects has always kind of sat there, hoping that you'll love it for its twist ending.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 2, 2002

The Usual Suspects is the freshest, funniest and scariest crime thriller to come along since Pulp Fiction.

Full Review | May 12, 2001

But like a tale from the Arabian Nights, told for the sheer pleasure of storytelling, this elegant puzzle not only enjoys showing off, it also has something to show.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 13, 2001

Lots of fun and a very handsome, widescreen production by director Bryan Singer, who co-wrote the original script with once-and-future partner (and ex-private detective) Christopher McQuarrie.

Full Review | Jan 1, 2000

Director Bryan Singer gives his film enough surface flash to entertain future late-night cable possibilities.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 1, 2000

As entertainment, the film is a lukewarm experience. But as a piece of construction, The Usual Suspects is a slick bit of business.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 1, 2000

Next to the steady diet of Hollywood formula, contrived plots and situations a regular moviegoer can spot a mile off, The Usual Suspects is something quite different: A movie that's smarter than you are.

Full Review | Jan 1, 2000

The Usual Suspects is a movie with style to burn, and, initially, that is this crime drama's most mesmerizing aspect.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 1, 2000

Certain 'big twists' may have hogged the limelight of late, but rarely have they come 'bigger' or better than in Bryan Singer's glorious exercise in taut intrigue, dazzling plotting and criminal psychology.

| Jan 1, 2000

In the press notes for The Usual Suspects, the director speculates that viewers will enjoy his film even more the second time. That's because you need a scorecard to keep track of this thriller the first time around.

| Jan 1, 2000