Review of Usual Suspects, The: Special Edition 2 Disc Set

Introduction

The Usual Suspects is another of those titles that is difficult to review. On the one hand I want to tell you all about the film, the plot, and lots more besides. But on the other hand, I don`t want to talk about the film at all for fear of spoiling it for those who haven`t yet seen it - and there are still quite a lot of people in that boat. So it you`re looking for an in-depth analysis of this film, look elsewhere - you`ll find over 400 opinions at IMDB, where the film is rated at number 16 in their all time top 250.

The film itself was released to an eager DVD buying public very early in the history of DVD, but it`s not one of those early releases that now change hands for silly money. The original region 2 release was a shoddy cropped full-frame affair, with a stereo soundtrack. The region 1 release was a slight improvement (a non-anamorphic transfer, but thankfully not cropped, and some extras).

Fans have been waiting a long time for a proper release of the film, and thankfully MGM have taken up the challenge.

Video

A glorious 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer - at last DVD owners get to see the film properly for the first time since the cinema release. Look out for all the things you`ve missed if you`ve not seen it in the proper aspect ratio for a while.

The transfer is of a very high standard, not perfect, but there`s nothing that spoils your viewing pleasure. Detail is high, there`s very little dust and dirt, colours are good and there`s not much grain either.

There`s plenty of good photography and camera work for the eye to enjoy, and it`s good that we can enjoy it through such a great transfer.

Audio

Gone is the nasty sound of the previous disc, in its place is an excellent DD5.1 soundtrack. This is not a high-octane boom-and-bang blockbuster (although it has its moments), but the 5.1 track complements the on screen action perfectly. Nice to see that they went to the effort of doing it, it could easily have been left as just plain stereo.

The score probably benefits most from the remix and the enhancement that it provides certainly adds a lot to the overall experience.

Features

Lots of lovely extras for you to get your teeth into too. The Usual Suspects is one of those films that actually included extras on a VHS release - a 2 tape set with one including the film, and the other including the film with a commentary track.

That commentary track is included here, with director Singer and writer McQuarrie enjoying themselves as they commentate. They have plenty of information to impart and they do it with style. A must-listen for anyone who has seen the film a few times (don`t listen after just one viewing though).

We also get another commentary track featuring John Ottman who had 2 jobs on the film. He was the editor, and also rather oddly the composer - jobs that don`t normally go together. Consequently he has 2 sets of stories to tell - stories of editing and stories of scoring.

There are a slew of featurettes, with only one of them that has the emphasis on "ette". "Pursuing The Usual Suspects" and "Doin` Time with The Usual Suspects" are the best of the bunch, as there are interviews with cast and crew and lots of background on the film and the production. Another featurette concentrates on Keyser Soze, with more interviews and background. Don`t watch this one until you`ve seen the film a few times.

"Heisting Cannes With The Usual Suspects" features footage from the Cannes film festival along with some more interviews. "Introducing The Usual Suspects" is the only one that disappoints, as it`s just PR fluff from around the time of the original release. "Taking Out The Usual Suspects" is the miscellaneous section and features interviews and out-takes from interviews which are amusing. I believe that this is the "region 2 exclusive feature" that some sites are talking about but I`m not certain.

There`s also a gag reel, deleted scenes with introductions (easy to see why most were left out) and a pair of trailers along with some very repetitive US TV spots.

Conclusion

A fantastic 2 disc set of an excellent film. The Usual Suspects finally gets a DVD release worthy of the film and fans finally get to see it as we were supposed to. The picture is very good, the sound is good and the extras are interesting and entertaining. If you like this film then you must buy this 2 disc set. If you`ve ever wondered what the fuss is about, the answers are all here. You`ll watch it again, and again, and again, and again.................

The only issue that you need to resolve is which version to get. According to most things that I`ve read, the region 1 version contains "never been seen before Easter Eggs" and the region 2 version contains "interviews and outtakes" which I think is the "Taking Out The Usual Suspects" feature on this disc. The region 1 version is released about 4 weeks earlier than the region 2 so there should be plenty of time to find out what exactly is going on.

This film and 2-disc set come very highly recommended and they combine to make an excellent package. A must-buy for fans and something that will delight new viewers too. If you`ve never seen this film, now is the time to do so!