Critical
What did Janet Maslin of the "New York Times" say about the cast's performances?
The Usual Suspects
"The Usual Suspects" was well received by most critics, and it has an 88% rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a 77 metascore on Metacritic. While embraced by most viewers and critics, the film was the subject of harsh derision by some. Roger Ebert, in a review for the "Chicago Sun-Times," gave the film one and a half stars out of four, considering it confusing and uninteresting. He also included the movie in his "most hated films" list. "USA Today" rated the film two and a half stars out of four, calling it "one of the most densely plotted mysteries in memory—though paradoxically, four-fifths of it is way too easy to predict." However, "Rolling Stone" praised Spacey, saying his "balls-out brilliant performance is Oscar bait all the way." In his review for "The Washington Post", Hal Hinson wrote, "Ultimately, "The Usual Suspects" may be too clever for its own good. The twist at the end is a corker, but crucial questions remain unanswered. What's interesting, though, is how little this intrudes on our enjoyment. After the movie you're still trying to connect the dots and make it all fit—and these days, how often can we say that?" In her review for "The New York Times", Janet Maslin praised the performances of the cast: "Mr. Singer has assembled a fine ensemble cast of actors who can parry such lines, and whose performances mesh effortlessly despite their exaggerated differences in demeanor ... Without the violence or obvious bravado of "Reservoir Dogs," these performers still create strong and fascinatingly ambiguous characters." "The Independent" praised the film's ending: "The film's coup de grace is as elegant as it is unexpected. The whole movie plays back in your mind in perfect clarity—and turns out to be a completely different movie to the one you've been watching (rather better, in fact)."