The Usual Suspects Questions

Bring on the tough stuff. There’s not just one right answer.

  1. How much of Verbal's story can we believe? Can we believe any of it?
  2. What mistakes does Special Agent Kujan make? What could he have done to figure out the mystery earlier?
  3. Why is Dean Keaton killed? And why does his girlfriend Edie have to die, too?
  4. How did the five usual suspects who find themselves in the lineup together happen to be five guys who had all crossed Keyser Söze in the past? Or did any of this actually even occur the way Verbal told it?
  5. Why are the five "usual suspects" criminals? What are their motives for committing crimes?
  6. Is there any truly admirable character in this movie? Who can we root for?
  7. Do you believe the origin story Verbal tells about Keyser Söze? Why or why not?
  8. Can we root for the "bad" guys like Verbal and Keaton? What does or doesn't make us want to root for them?
  9. How much ambiguity is in the ending? Of what can we be certain? Do we know who Keyser Söze is for sure?