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‘The Usual Suspects' With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan

September 8, 2020 · The Usual Suspects (1995) · Crime · Drama · Mystery · 1:18:22

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 32:06The lineup slash interrogation combo
Chris Ryan▶ 32:13The first 17 minutes masterclass (the introduction of characters, roundup, lineup, interrogation and holding pen)

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 43:09Benicio Del Toro — Benicio Del Toro - 'He just was such an obvious star after this movie'
Chris Ryan▶ 43:02Benicio Del Toro — Between Baldwin and Del Toro, leaning toward Del Toro who 'almost gets out the door with the movie' but dies too early

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 44:47Multiple picks: Redfoot's accidental cigarette flick at Stephen Baldwin, the movie poster still being great 25 years later, the masterful marketing campaign and trailer with Spacey's monologue, the interrogation scenes between Chazz Palminteri and Kevin Spacey being like a play, and the 90s fax machine trope that doesn't exist anymore due to cell phones
Chris Ryan▶ 46:55The reactions when Kaiser Soze is first mentioned ('He's here, he's here'), Redfoot's crew looking like vestige of early 90s with their tucked-in T-shirts, fur-lined jean jackets and perms, and Kaiser Soze's unrealistically powerful urine stream from the opening scene

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 51:09Michael Biehn — Discusses multiple casting what-ifs: Michael Biehn as first choice for Stephen Baldwin's role (would make it less funny), Chris Walken would have been incredible as Kobayashi, Al Pacino reading for Palminteri's role seems suspicious, Johnny Cash as Redfoot would be interesting but he wasn't young in 1995
Chris Ryan▶ 51:41Michael Biehn — Questions if Michael Biehn could deliver the comedic intensity of Baldwin's role, suggests Walken would be good as Redfoot, doesn't understand why Pacino had to audition, thinks Johnny Cash as Redfoot would have made sense, proposes connecting to Heat universe with Jon Voight character

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 57:08Peter Greene — Peter Green as Redfoot
Chris Ryan▶ 56:00Peter Greene — Discussed Louis Lombardi and Frank Medrano as strong contenders, expressed love for Peter Green's performance

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 59:53Keaton hands out folders in order characters die; Stephen Baldwin and Kevin Pollack have long-standing feud from filming - sides with Pollack
Chris Ryan▶ 1:00:39Baldwin was a 'nut job on set but a fun one'; sides with Kevin Pollack over Stephen Baldwin; notes Pollack had great 90s career

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:15Kevin Pollak — Yes for Kevin Pollack, Steven Baldwin, Palminteri, Peter Green, Turkish Crime Lords, and Baldwin Brothers as a troika. No for Gabriel Byrne (prefers Miller's Crossing), Del Toro, and Spacey
Chris Ryan▶ 1:02:52Gabriel Byrne — Gabriel Byrne's apex is Miller's Crossing, agrees on Turkish Crime Lords, suggests limping and movie twists as apex categories, agrees Baldwin Brothers as a troika

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:54Multiple quotes including 'Well, I believe in God and the only thing that scares me is Kaiser Soze' and 'The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing people didn't exist. Just like that. It's gone.'
Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:10Two specific quotes: McManus saying 'They say it's raining in New York' and Kujan's speech about 'How to spot a murderer' regarding who sleeps in jail

Sequel/Prequel/Limited Series/Remake

Chris Ryan▶ 1:12:48Six episode BBC style limited series with the twist happening in the finale

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:13:08Why wasn't Kevin Pollack a bigger star; Chaz Palminteri's next day at the office after blowing it with Kaiser Soze; Did Kaiser Soze marry again (probably not)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:14:48The whole boat thing - why Kaiser Soze couldn't come up with a simpler way to get the witness instead of having a massive gun battle where 25 guys die

Movies Referenced (37)

Heat (1995)

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 2:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pulp Fiction (1994)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 2:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 10:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chinatown (1974)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 5:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

American Beauty (1999)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 23:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blair Witch (2016)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 14:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gone Girl (2014)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 14:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Primal Fear (1996)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 15:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blown Away (1994)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 59:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Boogie Nights (1997)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 2:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

12 Monkeys (1995)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 22:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Apollo 13 (1995)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 22:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (5)

Bryan Singer

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for X-Men, The Usual Suspects▶ 2:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Glenn Danzig

3 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Hangover▶ 39:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Lynch

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 16:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Guy Ritchie

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Sherlock Holmes, Snatch▶ 11:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mel Gibson

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Braveheart, Conspiracy Theory▶ 9:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (52)

Kevin Spacey

32 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for L.A. Confidential, The Usual Suspects, American Beauty▶ 2:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gabriel Byrne

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Usual Suspects, Miller's Crossing▶ 10:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Al Pacino

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather▶ 0:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stephen Baldwin

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Usual Suspects▶ 12:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jack Lemmon

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for The Apartment, Glengarry Glen Ross, Some Like It Hot▶ 22:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dan Hedaya

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Usual Suspects, Commando, Mulholland Drive▶ 42:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Edie Falco

4 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 41:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Laura Linney

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 59:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Biehn

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Aliens, The Terminator, The Abyss▶ 51:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert De Niro

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Cape Fear, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver▶ 22:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Benicio Del Toro

3 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Sicario, The Usual Suspects, Traffic▶ 32:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Val Kilmer

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for The Doors, The Saint, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang▶ 23:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (6)

Christopher McQuarrie

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Usual Suspects, Mission: Impossible - Fallout▶ 12:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Johnny Cash

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Walk the Line▶ 53:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 29:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Attica Locke

1 mentions · ▶ 53:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Clancy

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Hunt for Red October, The Sum of All Fears, Clear and Present Danger▶ 1:05:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tommy Lee

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Vanilla Sky▶ 1:16:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗