Context

This line is spoken by Captain Renault, played by Claude Reins, in the movie Casablanca, directed by Michael Curtiz (1942).

Is Casablanca really one of the best movies ever, like everybody says? Yeah, probably. This classic hits us with the story of Rick Blaine, an American running a nightclub in Casablanca, Morocco, at the dawn of WWII. Rick's life gets complicated when his ex, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), strolls into his club with her husband, Lazlo, a Czech resistance leader wanted by the Nazis.

But it isn't Rick who speaks this iconic line. It's actually said by the corrupt Capt. Renault, who represents Nazi-occupied Vichy France. Like the government he represents, Renault is in the thrall of the Nazis for most of the movie. This line, however, comes at the tail end of the movie and shows a big turning point for Renault. He says it right after Rick has helped Ilsa and Lazlo get away by shooting Maj. Strassor, a Nazi official. Instead of turning Rick in, Renault covers for him and tells his men to go find some other criminals to blame it on. This is good for Rick, but we bet it totally sucks for the usual suspects.

We rounded up a clip for you here.

Where you've heard it

Do we even have to say where the biggest reference to this quote can be found? Okay, we'll say it since, you know, it's our job. The biggest reference to Casablanca's "usual suspects" line is… The Usual Suspects, the top-notch, twisty-turny crime thriller that launched the career of director Bryan Singer and nabbed Kevin Spacey his first Oscar.

The shout-out nods to that fact the movie is based around a bloody event that happens after a bunch of criminals meet in a line-up. The quote has also been referenced in recent TV shows like House MD, Grimm, and Ghost Whisperer.

Additional Notable References:

Movies

• Uliisses
• Miami Blues
• The Last Musketeer
• Mandrake
• Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Journey
• Ladies Night

TV

• Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• Millennium
• Sliders
• Flash Forward
• Castle
• White Collar

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

So what if quoting a classic movie like Casablanca makes you sound a little pretentious? Anyway, if you drop this one at a party, a lot of people will think you're just referencing the Bryan Singer movie.