1h 46m
Director: Bryan Singer

When 5 criminals all appear in a line up together, they decide to work together and plot a heist which doesn't go as planned. There is apparently a fire which takes 27 lives on the dock. This is where we enter the plot.

This movie has one of the most revered twists in modern film history and I'd argue it will spoil your enjoyment of the plot if you know what's coming so if you do intend to watch it and aren't just interested in getting an overview then I'd stop reading here!

I have a little personal rule that I'll always watch a movie if Kevin Spacey or Ed Norton are in it. It's not a perfect rule because both actors have put in some mediocre performances over the years. I know that Spacey isn't flavour of the month any more (because of things he did in his personal life - I'll let you Google it!) but I think he's a superb actor and I love the characters he portrays and I always think that you shouldn't judge an artist by how they choose to conduct themselves privately. If I did I'd have to throw most of my music collection in the bin!

If you've heard the term, 'unreliable narrator' then this flick is the epitome of that idea. Verbal Kint apparently has cerebral palsy and presents as a meek accomplice as he tells his story about what happened.

I think part of the appeal of this kind of movie is that when you watch any film you already know that it's all pretend, but this is a pretend narrative inside of that pretence. 'Pretend inception' as it were, which adds to the illusion! Double deceit! Part of the experience on subsequent viewings is not actually knowing whether what you're viewing is in any way real or fake.

The big bad, Kaiser Söze who is also referred to as the Devil in this story has entered the modern zeitgeist to the point where mentioning his name in casual conversation instantly conjures a reference to this film.

The narrative takes a few liberties here, sometimes depicting events without reminding you that they are being described by Verbal Kint (Spacey) and instead allowing you to assume you're watching an honest depiction of what actually happened. It all adds to the subterfuge which helps convince you that what you're seeing is real, go with it, it ends up being a delightful deceit.

All the recognisable actors look very young in this, particularly Benicio Del Toro and Giancarlo Esposito who you'll almost certainly recognise from Sicario (2015) and Breaking Bad (2008 - 2013) respectively. We know Giancarlo Esposito most recently for his roles playing the villain but in this film he plays a young cop.

Kevin Spacey shows his acting chops here with a really convincing performance which draws you in to a mysterious tale in a way that might remind you of Chris Walken in the Pulp Fiction (1994) watch scene.

If you want to read further about this flick then there's a plethora of articles online with Cinephiles waxing lyrical about how wonderful it is.

There are a couple of scenes where you can tell the actor forgot his lines and you get an approximation of what should have been said but the editor used that take, I'm assuming because the attitude was on point. You might also note that the cinematographer (Newton Thomas Sigel) likes to play a bit fast and lose with his framing, regularly placing characters on the extreme edges of frames which although not really a problem these days, was quite a bad idea back when we used to put everything on film stock as the extreme edges of the frame used to be quite ill defined. No film is perfect and none of this will spoil your enjoyment a single iota, I'm just a bit OCD!

In the end, Agent Dave Kujan who is interviewing Verbal feeds a version of the story back to him which really helps sell the lie. He believes his own speculations and of course Verbal leans into it, no doubt knowing that his ruse has paid off.

The final moments of this film are truly epic as we see Verbal leaving the police station and shaking off the cerebral palsy as his walk changes from a limp to a stride and Agent Dave Kujan goes from thinking that he's a genius cop to realising he's been sold a total crock of sh*t. Personally, it gives me chills every time.

If you've already seen this movie then don't be afraid to give it another go - it still holds up well even when you know the premise because the story is so gripping it draws you in! I think that is further proof of how superb the acting is.

If you're a fan of the film then there's a couple of featurettes on YouTube with some nice interviews. Here's a link to the first one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5iV8Zlleec

It's a must see movie so no excuses!

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist..."



Trailer: