The Usual Suspects
By Kit Macdonald
Who indeed? In 1995's The Usual Suspects, the role of the feared and notorious crime lord who spawned this globally recognised catchphrase is that of a dark and mysterious puppetmaster. The film follows a group of criminals brought together for a heist who become entangled in a larger, more sinister plot orchestrated by the man himself. The story unfolds through the testimony of Kevin Spacey's Roger "Verbal" Kint as he recounts the events to an understandably sceptical detective.
The unreliability of Verbal's storytelling is a vital tool in the film's quest to deceive and misdirect its audience, all in the service of making the final twist all the more shocking and memorable. A masterful blend of mystery and suspense, The Usual Suspects also contributed another deliciously well-written phrase to the popular lexicon: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”.