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Usual Suspects - Film Analysis

The Usual Suspects – Film Analysis
The director uses several cinematic techniques and uses a whole range of other techniques to create a dark and repressive atmosphere. The opening shows the sinister mood and atmosphere portrayed throughout the entirety of the movie.

The director’s mastery of camerawork is evident from the opening of the film.
A wide panning shot across a body of water is accompanied by sinister music. Excellent choice of camera angles was achieved by showing the full sight of the landscape, a harbourside dock through a long shot. The director deliberately uses a whole range of camera angles to add mystery, sustained through the film.

The story is told as a series of flashbacks, with real-time police interrogations with the core character, Verbal. The plot is cleverly crafted to go around in a loop, with the ending being at the start, making the audience slowly piece together clues and imagery, bit by bit to understand t...

Posted by: Jason Pinsky

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