Plainly speaking, there are many reasons to cringe at The Usual Suspects. With both Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer possessing controversial pasts, and the indiscriminate use of vulgar language, the movie is difficult to appreciate. However, one scene makes the hard-to-watch film a piece of pop culture history.
The original poster for the movie depicts five suspects in a police line-up, being paraded in front of officers; the basis of an actual sequence from the film. What makes the scene noteworthy is that none of the actors took it seriously. Contrary to popular belief, the infamous line-up scene was initially meant to be a rehearsal. In fact, Bryan Singer virtually came to a breaking point with the cast when they wouldn't perform as instructed.
According to Kevin Pollak, the group just decided to improvise during the rehearsal. Stephen Baldwin kicked things off by putting some extra mustard on his lines, causing the man next to him—Benecio Del Toro—to crack a smirk and laugh. His cohorts followed suit with equally entertaining ad-libs. While these moments weren't total improvisations, the cast did their own thing.
Truthfully, Singer wanted the line-up scene to be done in a dramatic fashion. Except, he didn't anticipate how much more entertaining it would be as a joke. And it makes sense that five hardened criminals laugh at the detectives interrogating them. They're not gonna "squeal" from a little pressure, because of what is at stake.
The money isn't the only incentive for staying loyal—staying quiet about illegal dealings. Keaton, Verbal, Fenster, McManus, and Hockney have the daunting task of proving who Keyser Soze is. Unfortunately, though, they're just as ignorant to the truth.
In the end, the big reveal is that Kevin Spacey's character, Verbal, is actually the real Keyser Soze. He convinces Kujan that McManus is the mythical mob boss, escaping on bail. It isn't until Kujan notices the details from Verbal's story align with his detective board that he comes to a stark realization—Verbal played him. The supposed gimp was acting, making a fool out of everyone.
The last scene shows Verbal (Spacey) walking down the street where his limp suddenly disappears. He moves his hand from its standard position and smoothly pulls a cigarette from his pocket as Kobayashi (Pete Postlewaite) drives up. They ride away together, meanwhile, Detective Kujan races to catch up to them. He's too late and the con man gets away.
Oddly enough, this sequence from The Usual Suspects wound up being parodied a few times—most notably in the 2000s horror comedy, Scary Movie. The final scene depicts Sidney (Anna Faris) and the police chief coming to the same realization as Kujan: the killer isn't some deranged student or person with an agenda, it's the guy that no one would expect: Doofy (Dave Sheridan). Scary Movie portrays him undergoing a similar transformation as to Spacey's Keyser Soze. The movie even parodies the ceramic coffee cup dropping to the floor, shattering, but instead of the brand name on the bottom saying "Kobayashi," it reads "Doofy."
The Usual Suspects is currently streaming on MAX. Scary Movie can be watched for free on the Tubi app.