Creepy and mysterious as “The Usual Suspects,” unseen forces and cryptic messages pit men against themselves in one of the darkest and best action-thrillers of the year.
Writer/director of the 1997 hit action flick “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” Guy Ritchie has improved on the formula with his latest, the smash hit “Revolver.” The sophisticated, sleazy and action-packed gem revolves (no pun intended) around incorrigible criminal Jake (Jason Stathem--“The Transporter,” “Snatch”). Jake has occasion to do a very intense seven years in the criminals’ school of school: prison. Given the fantastic choice of fourteen years in max with a moderate chance of survival or seven years in solitary, he takes the seven years.
But in fact the seven years of solitary are not completely solitary. He does the time in the company of two most amazing criminals. One is a master con-man and the other is a master chess player. From these two he learns the perfect con. He also learns the only way to improve is to play someone better than yourself. He also takes leave of his senses.
But this is perfect in the context of the film where everything is just a little irrational, anyway. We don’t know he is nuts until he bets everything against uber-tough guy Macha, the reigning kingpin whose kingdom is in Jake’s sights. Macha is played by Ray Liotta who combines “Dogs of War’s” Christopher Walken and “Glengarry Glen Ross’s” Alec Baldwin in what may be Liotta’s best performance ever. The only thing close is his 1990 smash hit opposite Robert De Niro as Henry Hill in “Goodfellas.” But Liotta has way better lines in this film and carries it off 110%.
Jake’s two prison mentors swear they will take him with them when they leave, but that doesn’t happen. On the outside he makes a mysterious introduction with two very soft spoken, but apparently very good, criminals, Zach and Avi. Zach, a thug with a brain, is a laid back and calculating Vincent Pastore (“Salvatore “Big Pussy' Bonpensiero” in the “Sopranos” TV series).
Avi is a sinister and brainy André Benjamin (“Be Cool” 2005) who plays his part like Lawrence Fishburn in “Pulp Fiction.” His answers are short, sweet and to the point. And he never makes mistakes. In fact, he never even resorts to violence. He just figures things out.
Zach and Avi offer Jake the ultimate con: he must give them all his money or die of a rare but deadly blood disease.
Behind the scenes is Sam Gold, the man who pulls all the strings. We never see Sam Gold; he speaks through a withered, vicious woman who is reminiscent of one of the sadistic female KGB operatives in James Bond films. Sam Gold himself has all the trappings of Christopher McQuarrie’s mythical god-like underworld expediter Kaiser Soeze in the classic mystery-thriller “The Usual Suspects.”
In fact, director Guy Ritchie and screenwriter Luc Besson succeed in suffusing the entire movie with that same larger-than-life, Wizard of Oz type of presence---the unseen father-devil who has ultimate control. And the control is off the screen, always in the background. The characters themselves are never completely on their feet, no matter how tough, smart, sophisticated and charismatic they may be.
The presence of the ruthless Gold gives all of the other characters some of our sympathy. No matter how godless Macha is, he must be better than Gold. As for Jake, we root for him from the word go. He is the underdog made good. He served his time and is ready to go down in flames, just like a rock star. A regular Elvis Presley of the criminal underworld.
The bottom of the totem pole is hit man Sorter, played in a splendid performance by Mark Strong. Sorter is the man who never misses. But something is wrong with his target, Jake. He has Jake in his sights and somehow misses. Things are off kilter and even the Spock-like Sorter can’t sort them out. There is a sense of creeping confusion here. A sense of creeping doom. Sorter can’t shoot someone ten feet away, Macha is losing his kingdom and the greatest con-man in the world is being conned.
Jake has to learn to play someone smarter than himself. But he is the smartest there is. Who is left? Where is Kaiser Soeze when you need him? He may be closer than you think.
Release: December 7, 2007
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