The Usual Suspects (1995)

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Plot

The films opens up showing Dean Keaton injured on a ship about to blow it up. However, a mysterious man pees on the fuse, before it reaches the bomb. Kenton looks at the man, and in a shocked manner, calls him Keyser Soze. Soze kills Keaton and then blows up the ship, making his escape.

The next scene shows a crippled man named Verbal Kent talking to DA agents. He introduces all the main "suspects". Fred Fenster, Todd Hockney, Michael McManus, and ending with Dean Keaton. He claims that the police had a personal vendetta against Keaton, who was a top police officer, turned career criminal. The five are put in a holding cell together. According to Kent, McManus comes up with an idea to get the cops back, for harassing them about a truck of full of guns getting stolen. Keaton, whose trying to live a straight life, doesn't want anything to do with it, much to the others surprise. Soon, Keaton's lawyer and love interest, Edie Finneran, bails him out of jail. The others also get released. Keaton walks away with his woman, while the others stare at him.

Dave Kujan from US Customs decides he wants to personally get involved in the case about a ship full of dead men. He's confused as to why they were there, but more importantly, he heard Dean Keaton was among the dead, and he wants to make sure it's confirmed. The only way he can do this, is by interrogating Verbal Kent, the only surviving witness. He request a fellow officer and friend at the station, Jeff, to arrange for him to interrogate Verbal. Dave and Verbal meet. Verbal's lawyer was able to get him complete immunity from any of the dealings on the boat, Dave insist that Verbal Kent didn't tell the DA everything he knows about what happened that night and what lead up to it. After various distraction tactics by Verbal Kent, he finally agrees to fill in some background for Kujan.

By Verbal's account of what happened after the men left jail that night, he went to Dean Keaton's house. According to him, the two of them were friends. He convinces Keaton that the job McManus has in mind can only work if he gets involved. Dean resist at first, but after feeling guilty for attacking Verbal, based on what he said about Edie, he decides to participate in the plan. Turns out the plan was to expose a corrupt police ring called, "New York's finest taxi service". Corrupt cops made extra money on the side, being personal drivers for high profile drug dealers and other criminals. The plan was a success. Dave Kujan heard about the corrupt cop ring getting exposed and thinks Dean Keaton was the mastermind, not McManus.

While Verbal is talking to Dave Kujan, an FBI agent, name Jack Baer is talking to a Hungarian survivor at a hospital. The badly burnt man claims he seen Keyser Soze on the ship, much to Jack's shock. He calls FBI headquarters, requesting a translator and a sketch artist.

Verbal continues giving Dave his account of what happened leading up to the failed heist on the ship. After the job, McManus tells the crew he needs to take the diamonds that he stole from the criminal during the taxi services heist, to a man in California named Red Foot. Hockney doesn't agree, suspecting McManus of leaving with all the loot. The two nearly get into a fight, before Keaton settles them down, agreeing that California is a good place to lay low. On the day of the flight, Dean goes and says goodbye to Edie at her law firm, but decides not to disturb her while she's with a client. Dave cuts Verbal off, not believing any of it. He tells Verbal about some of the cold-blooded things Keaton did, before he supposedly faked his own death. Kujan believes that Keaton was the mastermind behind everything. Verbal disagrees claiming it was the lawyer. When Verbal tries to avoid telling him who the lawyer is, Dave threatens him, forcing him to talk.

Verbal tells how the crew met up with Red Foot in California. Red Foot offers them a job robbing a jeweler named Saul Berg. Keaton refuses at first, but goes along with it. During the heist, they kill Berg's bodyguards. And when Saul refuses to hand over the "fucking case," Verbal kills him with a gunshot to the head, despite his crippled hands. They break the briefcase open, only to discover that it's filled with cocaine, not jewelry. Kujan gets interrupted by a visitor. Jack Baer visits Kujan and tells him about the Hungarian survivor at the hospital. He also tells him that the Hungarian told him there wasn't a drug deal going on that night. He then ask Dave if Verbal mentioned Keyser Soze yet. Dave Kujan returns to Jeff's office demanding Verbal tell him who Soze is.

Verbal sets it up, by first telling what happened when the crew contacted Red Foot about the misleading heist. Red Foot arrives and claims he was just following orders a lawyer working for a powerful man gave him. McManus doesn't believe him, but Dean tells Red Foot to set up a meeting with the lawyer. Red Foot jokes that the lawyer actually sent him to do just that. The crew go to a hotel and meet with the lawyer. The lawyer silently arrives. He calls himself Kobayashi and claims he works for Keyser Soze, much to the horror of the crew. Verbal, however, doesn't seem to know who he is. Kobayashi claims that each member of the crew stole from Soze during their criminal acts. He explains each act in detail, revealing that Hockney stole the truck with guns. Those guns were meant for Soze. Kobayashi then tells the crew what Soze wants them to do, in order to keep from getting killed. He orders them to takeover and destroy a shipment of cocaine during a major drug deal on a ship. It's clearly a suicide mission, but with lots of cash for whoever survives it. The lawyer explains that if this isn't done, they'll make Red Foot incriminate them for the botched jeweler heist among other things. Further making his point, before Kobayashi leaves, he gives the crew a briefcase filled with personal information about each of their life's history. Keaton thinks it's a shake down, but Fenster, who heard stories about Keyser Soze, believes it's real.

Verbal tells Kujan a story that he claims convinced him. When Keyser Soze was a drug runner, he kills his own wife and children, after they were violated by his enemies during a home invasion. Soze then whips out all his competition, including their family and friends, before he vanishes never to be seen again. The story became legend among criminal circles. Dave ask Verbal if he believed in Keyser Soze. Verbal gives an answer which suggest he does believe in him. Dave offers Verbal protection, but Verbal refuses, claiming the police can't protect him if Soze is after him. Kujan then tells Verbal to continue where he left off.

Verbal claims that Fenster got scared and took his cut of the money deciding to run. Soze's men, however, got to him and killed him, leaving his body on the beach. The crew buried Fenster, and Keaton decides he's going to kill the lawyer he believes is shaking then down. They find the company he works at. They kill his bodyguards in the elevator. Keaton, confident he has Kobayashi, is surprised when the lawyer informs him that Edie is in California working on a case for his company. Keaton doesn't believe it, but Kobayashi shows them his telling the truth. He then threatens all of the crew members loved ones if he sees them again before the heist. The crew talk about how they're going to pull off the heist and decide to wait for the money, despite making the job worst than it already is.

Dave gets interrupted again. He gets information about a snitch who was going to expose the identity of Keyser Soze. The snitch was on the ship and was the reason it was so heavily guarded. Kujan reenters the office with the information, but lets Verbal finish his account of what happened that night on the ship. Verbal explains that Keaton wanted him to leave and find Edie, telling her what happened. The crew set up an attack plan and pull it off. They catch the security on the ship off guard, killing them, while Verbal watches scared. However, mysteriously, each crew member is also caught off guard and killed by an unknown figure. The snitch in one of the rooms, warns one of the security men that Keyser Soze is on the ship and will come for him. The man tells him to shut up, before dying himself. The unknown figure confronts and kills the snitch. While this happens McManus and Keaton meet up on the ship. Keaton explains that he looked everywhere, but couldn't find any cocaine on the ship. McManus disappointed decides to leave. Unfortunately, he dies getting stabbed in the back (literally) by the unknown figure. Keaton, now nervous, decides to quickly blow up the ship, signaling to Verbal to get the van filled with money, even though he told Verbal to go back and find Edie. Verbal gets the van, but is shocked when he sees a mysterious man in a suit and top hat kill Keaton. Verbal hides until the mysterious man leaves, ending his recount of events.

Dave Kujan ask Verbal if he heard the name Arturro Marquez. Verbal says he never heard of him. Kujan informs him that he was the a snitch who got killed on the ship. He explains that the whole point of the heist, was to kill the only witness who could identify Keyser Soze. He then ties Verbal's story together, making it, fit so that Dean Keaton was not only the mastermind, but possibly Keyser Soze himself. Verbal strongly denies it, but changes his mind when Kujan tells him that Edie Finneran was also killed. Verbal admits that Keaton was the one behind all the heists and that he was protecting him out of friendship. Kujan offers Verbal protection in exchange for his testimony, but Verbal refuses a final time, leaving the office. He gets his things from the inventory officer and leaves the police station. While this happens, a detailed image of Keyser Soze, by the sketch artist from the hospital, is sent by fax to the police station.

Dave Kujan and Jeff are in the office talking. Dave is satisfied with himself and jokes about Jeff's messy office. Jeff tells him that his office is purposely done that way, and he would understand if he looked at it from a different perspective. Kujan relaxes with his cup of coffee, but suddenly gets a shocking revelation dropping the cup. He discovers how most of the details in Verbal's story, came off of the criminal case wall in Jeff's office. Finally, he noticed the country origin name on the now broken cup of coffee. The name read Kobayashi. Dave Kujan rushes out the office after Verbal. As Verbal walks along the sidewalk, he reveals that he was never crippled and that it was just an act all along as a car pulls up beside him. The fax finishes, showing Verbal's face, confirming that he's Keyser Soze. Kujan ask the inventory officer where Verbal went and runs out into the street. He's too late as Verbal gets into the car and leaves Kujan behind looking dumbfounded.

The film ends with Kujan remembering one of the key things Verbal told him. "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn't exist."