The Usual Suspects (1995)

The Usual Suspects parents guide

It stays inside its R, with some innuendo or implied sex and strong violence.

Scare

Not scary

Jump scares

None noted

Gore

Light gore

Some blood or injury, briefly.

Violence

Strong violence

Violence is frequent or intense.

Sex and nudity

Mild

Mild means innuendo, or sex implied off screen, with no nudity.

Language

Strong

Frequent strong profanity or slurs.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Usual Suspects scary?

No. The Usual Suspects is not a scary watch.

How gory is The Usual Suspects?

Light gore and strong violence.

What is The Usual Suspects rated, and is it OK for kids?

It is an R, with strong violence and frequent strong language. Keep it for adults.

What is The Usual Suspects about?

Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.

Cast and crew

More like The Usual Suspects

• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)Properly scary · graphic gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA brilliant, imprisoned psychopath offers chilling insights into a serial killer's mind, if a young agent dares to listen.
• Fargo (1996)Gritty · graphic gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA desperate car salesman's dark, witty kidnapping scheme unravels into gritty, suspenseful, pulpy chaos.
• Prisoners (2013)Suspenseful · light gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA father's desperate search for his missing daughter descends into a bleak, gritty, and atmospheric nightmare.
• The Departed (2006)Gritty · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingUndercover lives collide in a gritty, relentless game of cat and mouse within Boston's criminal underworld.
• Joker (2019)Bleak · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingA measured descent into madness unfolds as a comedian's dark satire fuels Gotham's gritty, bleak chaos.
• Sleepers (1996)Gritty · light gore · strong violence · emotionally devastatingFour friends carry a dark secret from a youth prison, seeking pulpy, bleak revenge years later.
• Jackie Brown (1997)Gritty · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA flight attendant plays both sides of the law in a gritty, witty game for a fortune.
• Reservoir Dogs (1992)Gritty · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally heavyA botched jewel heist unravels into a darkly comic, bloody standoff among double-crossing criminals.

The Usual Suspects is on our Heists, Whodunits, Noir and neo-noir, Set in New York and Set in Los Angeles lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “scary but not gory”