The Usual Suspects
The Usual Suspects mistake picture

Continuity mistake: Right before they rob the police car, a Boeing 747 (four engines) is seen in shots of the plane coming into land. When the plane is shown from behind, it is a Boeing 767, with only two engines and fewer main landing gears. (00:30:10)

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Suggested correction: It's for effect to show they were hanging out around the airport for more than a bit.

There's no evidence this was meant to be a montage scene of various planes. The cuts they did have in the first angle were of the same plane getting closer to build suspense. Same for the other angle. Plus, there's no scenes or shots of "them" waiting.

Bishop73

Continuity mistake: In the climactic boat scene when Kevin Pollack runs back from the boat to the van full of money he shoots the man standing by the back of the van. Pollack is then shot in the back as he looks at the money in the back of the van. When Kevin Spacey returns to the van later in the boat scene, we see Pollack's dead body lying on the ground behind the van, however the dead body of the man who Pollack killed has disappeared. (01:17:50 - 01:25:35)

Factual error: A person with 60% burns on his body would not be wearing pyjamas, as the Hungarian guy does. (00:19:45)

NancyFelix

More mistakes in The Usual Suspects

Trivia: The personal bios of the characters are handed out in the order that they die in.

Trivia: The way none of the characters can keep a straight face when reading out the card in the line up was not scripted, but resulted because the cast had had a rather good lunch prior to filming, which included some wine, and were unable to get through what was scripted as a serious scene with straight faces, because of the nature of the scene - supposedly very serious, but they were being asked to utter this rather absurd (and obscene) phrase. Benicio Del Toro also frequently broke wind during the scene, hardly helping the serious tone.

Trivia: In the lineup scene, when the officer asks Benicio del Toro to repeat the phrase "in English, please," the voice is actually the director. That line was not scripted. The director actually wanted to retake Benicio's line because he didn't think it was understandable. He ended up keeping it because he thought it was funny.

More trivia for The Usual Suspects

Verbal Kint: The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

Verbal Kint: How do you shoot the Devil in the back? What if you miss?

Verbal Kint: Keaton always said, "I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him." Well, I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me... Is Keyser Soze.

More quotes from The Usual Suspects

Question: How did Soze end up in the police station after he escaped the boat in the first place? If he had vanished after the bombing, he wouldn't have to make up the stories and he wouldn't have been identified by Kujan.

Answer: Kint/Soze ended up in the police station because he simply didn't get away in time.

Answer: Soze ended up back under arrest and for some questioning as 'Verbal Kint'. He never really vanished, he's just playing two parts/people. He really vanishes off the scene by the end of the movie after he tricks Kujan.

With the exception of what's known to have happened on the dock, the entire story is a lie told by Verbal Kint to Agent Kujon. Kujon realises this after Kint leaves the office but not in time to catch up. The entire movie is about a habitual liar making up a story about what happened on the dock. He may be Keyser Soze or an alter-ego variant but even Keysers rep is subject to question as it was told by the same liar. Verbal himself said about Keaton, "He was a grounded guy, a cop. If you think the husband did it then you're right." He was telling on himself as sociopaths will do when they think they're smarter than everyone around them.

Question: While in interrogations Kujan is asking Verbal why Keaton told him to stay back while they were robbing the boat. After a back and forth conversation between them about it they come to the conclusion that it is because Keaton is Kaiser Sose and he wanted Verbal to be his will. However we come to find out this is not true, and Verbal is actually Kaiser Sose, so why did Keaton have Verbal stay back?

Answer: He never did. How they got on the boat and took out the Argentinians could have actually happened in a million different ways. For all we know, verbal went on the boat with them, and then killed them, which is more likely as it is an extra gun. The point of the film is to show how much of a mystery Keyser Soze is, that even after all of that, no one knows who he is. For example, he tells the story as if Soze is Hungarian and killed his wife and kids, but we know this isn't true, because Kint is Soze and he's American. The point is, he's telling so many lies and making up all these stories, so it's got to a point that they don't even know his real nationality. The only reason we though he was Hungarian throughout the film is because Kint told us, but we know his story was a hoax.

Answer: You're missing the point: Verbal is making much of the story up. He's changing facts and events to lead Kujan to think Keaton is Sose.

Answer: Kaiser had manipulated Keaton so much to the point where he thinks Verbal is innocent and wants to let him live.

Answer: Verbal doesn't even know about some of the relevant facts of the story. He acts upset when Kujon asks about so and so when he in fact likely didn't even know about them so he continues to build on his epic tale of fabrications. The entire story is a lie of magnificent proportions.

Question: Why do the gang decide to kill Kobayashi (when they are dressed as repair men and shoot the other two men in the elevator)?

Answer: Keaton doesn't believe in Keyser Soze, and is so convinced that Kobayashi is the one pulling the strings and manipulating them. They figure that if they take HIM out, they are home free.

Answer: The gang decides to kill "Kobayashi" in order to get out of being forced into this dangerous gig, and also because the guy knows way too much about them (as shown by the personal dossiers they were given at the pool hall).

Answer: Because Verbal Kint is a sociopathic habitual liar and it fits his style of story telling.

More questions & answers from The Usual Suspects

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