The Usual Suspects Analysis- Stephen

The Usual Suspects Textual Analysis

The opening scene to ‘The Usual Suspects’ begins from a black screen to a match lighting a few more matches- clearly this foreshadows the relevance of matches in the sequences’ plot. This specific use of prop is dynamic to the Thriller genre, being iconic in the way that they bring light to the plot- and light to the actual sequence.  Furthermore, the single presence of ambient sound brings an eerie vibe to the scene, foreshadowing a shock event which will take place- creating an enigma for the viewer to think about. Additionally, the close up on the matches further signifies their importance, and an enigma emerges as we wonder who this character is- who is he that is smoking in this situation? An exposition shot occurs at a close up of some leaking barrels in the scene, leaking what the viewer can assume to be oil- connecting the matches and the liquid together. The tilting shot exposes further, showing to the viewer that it is indeed oil that is leaking- and that it’s flammable.

Moving to a medium shot we see the character fully, sitting on the floor like a homeless person would on the street. Perhaps that’s what has happened to him in the story, he was made homeless and is now stuck in a precarious situation? He enigma created here can see that this character is somewhat central to the storyline. As the character we see lazily throws the cigarette he was smoking on the flames- perhaps in a defiant action- we hear the sounds of flames rise- this crescendo of the diegetic sound implies that the characters will meet their fate by flame.

Suddenly, the flames are put out by another strange liquid- this time clearly a man’s urine. The tilt upwards, a tilt to another level of the setting, reveals a man in a coat- dark as the surrounding areas. We can clearly get the vibe of this character being the antagonist, being so blatant in his actions of filth. Furthermore, by the composition of this shot we can clearly understand his power over everyone in the sequence- further proven by the angle of the shot; where we have to look up at him.  As we cut back to the other character, who has changed facial expression to one of utter loss- as if giving himself completely to the other character.

Throughout the scene we see dead bodies littering the floor, and as the antagonist walks past one with no change in body movement, we can establish that they were the killer- however this creates the enigma of what is going to happen to the man we first saw; will he be killed as well? As the antagonist lights a lighter he brings it to his head, however the camera doesn’t change and it remains focused on the characters central body, still not revealing the characters face. This use of mystery further shrouds the scene; with the viewer’s left wondering who this cloaked man is.

A short dialogue sequence is exchanged and as we hear the antagonist’s voice it is the stereotypical villain voice: croaky and crooked, with a malicious intent.  With the revelation of a gun being hidden by the antagonist we now know what is likely to happen to the other character and as the antagonist points the gun we cut to an extreme long shot of the setting- a boat.

This cut to the extreme long shot creates a large enigma, with the diegetic sound of the gun shot twice, with three cuts to the outside setting. We are left wondering what happened inside the boat, as we didn’t see what happened- just what we heard. We are left speculating if the character really died- if he was even shot at all. The soundtrack at this point is quiet, so we can effectively hear the silence that surrounds the boat. This ‘silence’ can reflect that the character was the last person who knew something about the antagonist.