Despite a complex plot that kept audiences guessing, The Usual Suspects was a huge hit, picking up two Oscars. One of the definitive films of the 1990s, it gained enormous critical acclaim and confirmed the emergence of Kevin Spacey (who took one of the Oscars for best supporting actor).
Five crooks are pulled into the same line-up after a truck hijack in Queens, New York. "How many times you been in a line-up?" asks retired criminal Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne). "It's always you and four dummies." They suspect a set-up, deny all charges and plot revenge on the NYPD.
After that, it turns tricky, as anonymous mastermind Keyser Soze draws them all into a heist involving a mystery ship in San Pedro harbour, a Hungarian crew and a small fortune in cocaine.
Highly recommended.
The Usual Suspects is a Film programme that first aired in 1995 and has been classified a 18 certificate.
