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‘The Usual Suspects' With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan
September 8, 2020 · The Usual Suspects (1995) · Crime · Drama · Mystery · 1:18:22
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Chris RyanThe first 17 minutes masterclass (the introduction of characters, roundup, lineup, interrogation and holding pen)▶ 32:13
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsBenicio Del Toro — Benicio Del Toro - 'He just was such an obvious star after this movie'▶ 43:09
Chris RyanBenicio Del Toro — Between Baldwin and Del Toro, leaning toward Del Toro who 'almost gets out the door with the movie' but dies too early▶ 43:02
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsMultiple picks: Redfoot's accidental cigarette flick at Stephen Baldwin, the movie poster still being great 25 years later, the masterful marketing campaign and trailer with Spacey's monologue, the interrogation scenes between Chazz Palminteri and Kevin Spacey being like a play, and the 90s fax machine trope that doesn't exist anymore due to cell phones▶ 44:47
Chris RyanThe reactions when Kaiser Soze is first mentioned ('He's here, he's here'), Redfoot's crew looking like vestige of early 90s with their tucked-in T-shirts, fur-lined jean jackets and perms, and Kaiser Soze's unrealistically powerful urine stream from the opening scene▶ 46:55
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsMichael Biehn — Discusses multiple casting what-ifs: Michael Biehn as first choice for Stephen Baldwin's role (would make it less funny), Chris Walken would have been incredible as Kobayashi, Al Pacino reading for Palminteri's role seems suspicious, Johnny Cash as Redfoot would be interesting but he wasn't young in 1995▶ 51:09
Chris RyanMichael Biehn — Questions if Michael Biehn could deliver the comedic intensity of Baldwin's role, suggests Walken would be good as Redfoot, doesn't understand why Pacino had to audition, thinks Johnny Cash as Redfoot would have made sense, proposes connecting to Heat universe with Jon Voight character▶ 51:41
Joey Pants Award
Chris RyanPeter Greene — Discussed Louis Lombardi and Frank Medrano as strong contenders, expressed love for Peter Green's performance▶ 56:00
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsKeaton hands out folders in order characters die; Stephen Baldwin and Kevin Pollack have long-standing feud from filming - sides with Pollack▶ 59:53
Chris RyanBaldwin was a 'nut job on set but a fun one'; sides with Kevin Pollack over Stephen Baldwin; notes Pollack had great 90s career▶ 1:00:39
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsKevin Pollak — Yes for Kevin Pollack, Steven Baldwin, Palminteri, Peter Green, Turkish Crime Lords, and Baldwin Brothers as a troika. No for Gabriel Byrne (prefers Miller's Crossing), Del Toro, and Spacey▶ 1:03:15
Chris RyanGabriel Byrne — Gabriel Byrne's apex is Miller's Crossing, agrees on Turkish Crime Lords, suggests limping and movie twists as apex categories, agrees Baldwin Brothers as a troika▶ 1:02:52
Best Quote
Bill SimmonsMultiple quotes including 'Well, I believe in God and the only thing that scares me is Kaiser Soze' and 'The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing people didn't exist. Just like that. It's gone.'▶ 1:09:54
Chris RyanTwo specific quotes: McManus saying 'They say it's raining in New York' and Kujan's speech about 'How to spot a murderer' regarding who sleeps in jail▶ 1:11:10
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsWhy wasn't Kevin Pollack a bigger star; Chaz Palminteri's next day at the office after blowing it with Kaiser Soze; Did Kaiser Soze marry again (probably not)▶ 1:13:08
Chris RyanThe whole boat thing - why Kaiser Soze couldn't come up with a simpler way to get the witness instead of having a massive gun battle where 25 guys die▶ 1:14:48
Movies Referenced (38)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulp Fiction (1994) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 2:22 |
| Reservoir Dogs (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 10:25 |
| Chinatown (1974) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 5:32 |
| American Beauty (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 23:16 |
| Gone Girl (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 14:50 |
| Primal Fear (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 15:46 |
| Boogie Nights (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 2:22 |
| Nope (2022) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | ▶ 57:18 | |
| The Artist (2011) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 3:34 |
| 12 Monkeys (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 22:50 |
| About Time (2013) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 11:16 |
| Apollo 13 (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 22:50 |
Directors Referenced (5)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Singer | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | X-Men, The Usual Suspects | ▶ 2:32 |
| Glenn Danzig | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan | The Hangover | ▶ 39:38 |
| David Lynch | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 16:43 | |
| Guy Ritchie | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Sherlock Holmes, Snatch | ▶ 11:28 |
| Mel Gibson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Conspiracy Theory | ▶ 9:03 |
Actors Referenced (52)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Spacey | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 32 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | L.A. Confidential, The Usual Suspects, American Beauty | ▶ 2:38 |
| Gabriel Byrne | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | The Usual Suspects, Miller's Crossing | ▶ 10:21 |
| Al Pacino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather | ▶ 0:18 |
| Stephen Baldwin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | The Usual Suspects | ▶ 12:45 |
| Jack Lemmon | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | The Apartment, Glengarry Glen Ross, Some Like It Hot | ▶ 22:25 |
| Dan Hedaya | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | The Usual Suspects, Commando, Mulholland Drive | ▶ 42:30 |
| Edie Falco | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 41:48 | |
| Laura Linney | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 59:22 | |
| Michael Biehn | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Aliens, The Terminator, The Abyss | ▶ 51:27 |
| Robert De Niro | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Cape Fear, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver | ▶ 22:25 |
| Benicio Del Toro | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan | Sicario, The Usual Suspects | ▶ 32:43 |
| Val Kilmer | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | The Doors, The Saint, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | ▶ 23:04 |
Writers Referenced (6)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher McQuarrie | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | The Usual Suspects, Mission: Impossible - Fallout | ▶ 12:51 |
| Johnny Cash | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Walk the Line | ▶ 53:34 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 29:22 | |
| Attica Locke | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | ▶ 53:04 | ||
| Tom Clancy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | The Hunt for Red October, The Sum of All Fears, Clear and Present Danger | ▶ 1:05:21 |
| Tommy Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Vanilla Sky | ▶ 1:16:34 |