The Usual Suspects
The Usual Suspects has a mysterious opening scene that is all about
guessing and about ‘what has happened’, it is used to interest and immerse the
viewer into the mystery/crime/thriller genre of the movie. Through out the
opening sequence, there is a creation of enigma which affects the spectator by
keeping them on ‘the edge of their seats.’ This is created by the rise of
intensity and becoming involved within the film narrative.
Camerawork
The opening scene starts off with a close up on some matchsticks as they
are lit; the camera is tilting up to a medium close up of a wounded character.
A panning shot is used to show a barrel and its fuel, the fuel within it
is flowing out straight next to the wounded character. The wounded character
drops the match to light the fuel. As the fuel is lit a series of cuts are used
to show the flow of the fire towards the direction of the fuel barrel. As the
fire flows, throughout the cuts, in the background the camera shows a dead body
laying there, this explains parts of the narrative of the film, as it shows
that the opening sequence is a crime scene. The shot of the unknown character, otherwise
known as Keyser, restricts the way in which we see his identity by creating a
tilt shot and movement. This restricts the information we receive. Through out
the opening scenes, restricted narration is played out with high built
intensity.
Mise en
Scene
Mise en scene plays a huge role during the opening sequence. The unknown
character dressed in all black symbolizes his characteristics and connotes the
genre thriller. His costume suggests he is a bad, mysterious and thrilling
character. There is constant low-key lighting generating a thriller feel. The
flames from the fire creates enough light to contribute to the affect of
thriller. The audience’s attention is directed to the flames, which begins to
contrasts the rest of the scene. The colour is a bright orange and harsh yellow
belonging to the flames which we know as dangerous. This is a highly dominant
colour through out the scene. Due to the lack of lighting in this scene, it is
hard to establish where the characters are placed; however, because of the
props and some long shots we understand that it is taking place on a boat or a
ship. As it is set at night, and we are only shown the two characters, there is
most likely know one around to help. This scene is also non-linear which is
used to make the spectators feel excluded from the narrative, as if they have
missed something from the start. This creates confusion, which is a typical
convention of a physiological thriller.
Editing
The cutting frequency of the opening sequence of The Usual Suspects is
quite slow. This then shows that there is little action occurring and
emphasizes the dialogue and the movements of the characters more. The slow pace
of cuts also helps draw out the suspense as no one knows what to expect next.
The scene is carried out chronologically. This is shown by the matched cuts and
lack of a variety of transitions, keeping the spectators attention focused on
the events that are taking place. Shot reverse shot is used to help spectators
consolidate towards the dialogue between the two male characters. The use of continuity editing helps spectators understand the action and perceive the orientation and composition of the characters. This helps the spectators to focus on the narrative and plot rather than being confused and disorientated.
Sound
The Usual Suspects opening soundtrack connotes sadness which contradicts
the calmness of the water in the first shot. The scene begins with an
equilibrium and then goes into a disequilibrium from the previous ‘last night’.
The sadness juxtaposes the water and can also be paired with it. The water
could represent something melancholy. However, this is deliberately left ambiguous
so it confuses the spectators and keeps them on the toes, leaving them
wondering. The beginning of the film is
also very silent with only diegetic sounds, for example: footsteps, water
dripping and the crackling of the flames. The low volume sounds and lack of
diegetic and instrumental sounds creates a subtle meaning whilst adding
ambience to the scene. The music crescendos as the unidentified character moves
closer to the man who cannot walk. This is connoting he is a powerful and
mysterious man. As the gun shots are fired, there is a long break in the music-
this emphasizes the Foley gun shot sounds. This creates suspense as we do not
know when the gun is going to be fired. The spectators can only presume it will
be fired during the shot of the gun, until it cuts to another shot of the ships
and boats. This happens unexpectedly. There is a lack of diegetic sounds
through out the opening scene, this is because the visuals are meaning to be
more powerful as the visuals. The dialogue between the two men is very minimal,
giving us less information of the plot in the narrative. This reflects from the
restricted narration of the unknown character who fires the gun. This builds curiosity
for the spectators and makes the film extremely thrilling and intriguing.
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