The Usual Suspects holds a Critic Score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 83 critical reviews with an average rating of 7.80 out of 10. This score places the 1995 crime thriller among the well-regarded films of its era, reflecting widespread critical approval despite the film’s complex narrative and morally ambiguous characters.
The 87% rating indicates that the vast majority of film critics found merit in Bryan Singer’s direction and Christopher McQuarrie’s screenplay, even if not every reviewer was completely convinced by the film’s intricate plot mechanics. The Rotten Tomatoes score tells only part of the story, however.
- Table of Contents
- How Does The Usual Suspects Compare to Other Crime Thrillers on Rotten Tomatoes?
- What Do Critics Praise and Criticize in The Usual Suspects?
- How Has The Usual Suspects' Critical Reception Held Up Since 1995?
- Understanding What an 87% Rotten Tomatoes Score Actually Means for Viewers
- How Reliable Are Rotten Tomatoes Scores for Crime Thrillers?
- The Influence of The Usual Suspects on Subsequent Ratings and Expectations
- Where The Usual Suspects Stands in the Modern Critical Landscape
- Conclusion
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While critics gave the film a solid score, the critical consensus reveals nuance—some praised the clever twist ending and ensemble cast, while others noted the convoluted plot structure could be difficult to follow.
When The Usual Suspects was released to theaters, it arrived as an independent film with limited expectations, making its critical reception all the more impressive for a project that would eventually become a contemporary classic and win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
This critical approval has endured over nearly three decades, which is notable considering that many 1990s films have seen their reputations fluctuate significantly in retrospective critical analysis. The 87% score reflects a consensus that has remained relatively stable, suggesting the film’s craftsmanship and storytelling have held up to repeated viewings and critical reconsideration.
Table of Contents
- How Does The Usual Suspects Compare to Other Crime Thrillers on Rotten Tomatoes?
- What Do Critics Praise and Criticize in The Usual Suspects?
- How Has The Usual Suspects’ Critical Reception Held Up Since 1995?
- Understanding What an 87% Rotten Tomatoes Score Actually Means for Viewers
- How Reliable Are Rotten Tomatoes Scores for Crime Thrillers?
- The Influence of The Usual Suspects on Subsequent Ratings and Expectations
- Where The Usual Suspects Stands in the Modern Critical Landscape
- Conclusion
How Does The Usual Suspects Compare to Other Crime Thrillers on Rotten Tomatoes?
The Usual Suspects’ 87% critic score places it solidly in the upper range for crime thrillers, though it sits below some other landmark entries in the genre.
For comparison, Goodfellas holds a 96% on rotten Tomatoes, while Pulp Fiction, released around the same time in 1994, earned an 92%. These higher-rated films benefited from the presence of established auteurs—Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino respectively—who had built reputations before these films’ releases.
The Usual Suspects, arriving from a less prominent director, achieved its 87% through different means: a tightly executed ensemble cast and a screenplay that prioritized narrative ingenuity over the kind of dialogue-driven scenes that might appeal to a broader critical consensus.
However, the 87% rating places The Usual Suspects well above many other crime films of its era.
The Killers, a 1946 noir classic, earns 85% on the platform, while films like Ocean’s 11 (the 1960 original) achieved 77%. This contextual comparison shows that The Usual Suspects earned stronger critical validation than many beloved entries in the crime and heist subgenres, despite being made outside the traditional studio system.
The score also outperforms later crime thrillers like Snatch (73%) and In Good Company (69%), demonstrating that the film’s critical reputation has weathered changes in filmmaking trends and critical sensibilities over time.
The comparison becomes more interesting when considering that The Usual Suspects achieved this score without the benefit of major studio backing or recognized A-list actors at the time of release. Kevin Spacey was known primarily from television, Gabriel Byrne from character work, and Benicio Del Toro was genuinely obscure.
Yet the strength of the writing and direction still convinced a clear majority of critics that the film’s ambitions were successfully realized, which speaks to the screenplay’s effectiveness and the ensemble’s performances.
What Do Critics Praise and Criticize in The Usual Suspects?
The critical consensus behind The Usual Suspects’ 87% score reflects appreciation for several specific elements, particularly Christopher McQuarrie’s intricate screenplay and the film’s structural ambition. Critics generally praised the film’s twist ending, which reframes the entire narrative and rewards attentive viewing.
The ensemble cast, especially Kevin Spacey’s Oscar-winning performance and Gabriel Byrne’s understated work, drew consistent compliments from reviewers. The film’s visual style under Bryan Singer’s direction—combining gritty crime noir aesthetics with unexpected visual flourishes—also contributed to positive reviews.
However, not all critics were fully persuaded by the execution, which is why the score sits at 87% rather than in the 90s. The primary criticism that prevents the score from reaching higher levels concerns the film’s narrative complexity becoming a liability rather than an asset.
Some critics found that the intricate plot, with its unreliable narration and intentional misdirection, prioritizes cleverness over emotional resonance or character development. A few reviewers argued that certain plot elements don’t entirely hold up under scrutiny and that some characters function more as chess pieces than fully realized individuals.
The pacing, while praised by many, was noted by some critics as occasionally stuttering when the film shifts between different narrative threads and time periods. These legitimate reservations prevented unanimous critical endorsement while still leaving the film with a solid approval rating.
The limitation that’s worth noting: Rotten Tomatoes scores don’t capture the intensity of critical opinion—they simply count approval.
An 87% means roughly 72 out of 83 critics gave the film a favorable review (using Rotten Tomatoes’ methodology), but this masks the difference between critics who gave it a middling positive review versus those who considered it exceptional.
Some critics in that favorable 87% may have given it a 6/10 while others gave it a 9/10, both counting as “fresh” (positive) reviews.
How Has The Usual Suspects’ Critical Reception Held Up Since 1995?
The Usual Suspects maintained its critical standing remarkably well across the decades, which is uncommon for a film that relies heavily on a twist ending. Many films that depend on narrative surprises face declining critical evaluations once the twist becomes common knowledge—critics can’t replicate the experience of first-time viewers.
Yet The Usual Suspects’ 87% score has remained stable because critics have recognized that the film offers more than just the ending. The screenplay’s craftsmanship, the performances, and the film’s influence on subsequent crime thrillers have allowed it to be reappraised as a complete work rather than merely a vehicle for a surprise conclusion.
The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1996 and received a Best Picture nomination, validating the critical consensus in the months after release.
This institutional recognition helped cement the film’s reputation even as new films arrived and shifted critical attention elsewhere.
By the 2000s, when critics began reassessing 1990s cinema, The Usual Suspects was already positioned as a canonical entry in the decade’s crime fiction output.
Some retrospective reviews have been slightly more critical than contemporary responses, particularly regarding the female characters’ limited development and certain aspects of the plot construction, yet these reservations haven’t substantially moved the needle on the overall 87% rating.
One interesting development: the film’s 87% critical score now coexists with an extremely high audience score, which reflects how mainstream viewers have embraced the film even if professional critics were more measured in their praise.
This gap between professional critics and general audiences is typical for films with twist endings—casual viewers often appreciate the cleverness more immediately than critics, who approach films from different analytical perspectives and professional standards.
Understanding What an 87% Rotten Tomatoes Score Actually Means for Viewers
Rotten Tomatoes’ methodology matters for interpreting this score accurately. The platform uses a binary system—each review is classified as either “fresh” (positive) or “rotten” (negative), regardless of whether the critic gave it a 6/10 or a 9/10.
The 87% score means that 87% of the 83 reviews in Rotten Tomatoes’ database were classified as positive, which translates to approximately 72 fresh reviews and 11 rotten reviews. This system provides clarity but also smooths over the actual spectrum of critical opinion.
A viewer relying only on the 87% number might assume nearly universal acclaim, when in fact the reality is more nuanced—roughly one in seven critics gave the film an unfavorable review.
For a prospective viewer, understanding that 87% is “certified fresh” (Rotten Tomatoes’ designation for scores above 75%) provides useful guidance without overpromising the experience. The film is clearly worth watching based on critical consensus, particularly for viewers interested in crime thrillers, screenwriting craftsmanship, or 1990s cinema.
However, the score also contains implicit information: if you’re looking for a film that will universally delight you, the 87% suggests you might encounter elements you dislike, especially if you value character depth or straightforward narratives over clever plot construction. The tradeoff worth considering is that Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t measure unanimity of excellence—it measures approval.
An 87% means the film cleared the approval threshold for most critics, but it doesn’t mean critics agreed on why it’s good or how good it is.
This distinction becomes important if you’re comparing films: a 90% film and an 87% film might have different appeal profiles entirely, with the 90% film perhaps offering more universal satisfaction and the 87% film offering specific strengths that deeply appeal to particular audiences.
How Reliable Are Rotten Tomatoes Scores for Crime Thrillers?
Rotten Tomatoes scores for crime thrillers can be somewhat volatile because critics approach the genre with varying expectations and criteria. Some critics prioritize technical execution, structure, and writing—categories where The Usual Suspects excels—while others weight character development and emotional authenticity more heavily.
This variation in critical priorities means that two equally competent crime thrillers might receive significantly different Rotten Tomatoes scores depending on which critics happen to review them. The Usual Suspects benefited from reviews from critics who particularly valued screenwriting innovation and narrative ambition, which played to the film’s strengths.
One limitation of using Rotten Tomatoes for genre assessment is that the platform doesn’t separate critical consensus on different qualities.
A critic might praise The Usual Suspects’ dialogue and structure while criticizing its treatment of female characters, yet both responses get classified under the single “fresh” designation. This means the 87% doesn’t fully explain what aspects of the film earned approval and what aspects remained controversial even among favorable reviewers.
For crime thrillers especially, which often depend on both plot mechanics and character arcs, this simplification can obscure important information about the film’s balance of strengths and weaknesses. The warning here involves not over-indexing on a single score when making viewing decisions.
The Usual Suspects’ 87% tells you that critics generally found the film successful, but it doesn’t tell you whether you personally will appreciate the screenplay’s complexity, the ensemble cast’s understated performances, or the plotting over character development.
Reading a handful of individual reviews alongside the aggregate score would provide better guidance than relying solely on the 87% figure.
The Influence of The Usual Suspects on Subsequent Ratings and Expectations
The Usual Suspects has influenced how subsequent crime thrillers are evaluated on Rotten Tomatoes and elsewhere, which creates a fascinating feedback loop. Films that adopt similar narrative structures—unreliable narrators, twist endings, ensemble casts, nonlinear storytelling—are now often compared to The Usual Suspects, whether favorably or unfavorably.
This comparison can either elevate or depress another film’s critical reception depending on execution.
A 1995 crime thriller arriving today would be evaluated within a critical framework that The Usual Suspects itself helped shape, which influences how contemporaneous films are scored and reviewed. The film’s Oscar wins and lasting reputation have also elevated the baseline expectations for crime thrillers generally.
Critics now view the genre as capable of producing prestigious, award-worthy work, not merely entertainment. This shift in critical regard—partly because of The Usual Suspects’ success—means that contemporary crime thrillers are held to higher writing and structural standards than might have been the case in pre-1995 reviews.
Where The Usual Suspects Stands in the Modern Critical Landscape
The Usual Suspects remains a consistent reference point in critical discussions of 1990s cinema and American crime fiction, which has helped stabilize its 87% rating even as Rotten Tomatoes adds new reviews sporadically.
Modern reviews from critics discovering the film for the first time might view it differently than 1995 reviews, yet the score has remained relatively fixed.
This stability reflects either remarkable consistency in critical judgment across generations or, more likely, a leveling effect where the 83-review sample size has become large enough that individual new reviews have minimal impact on the aggregate percentage.
In contemporary contexts, The Usual Suspects functions as a benchmark for “well-executed, ambitious crime thriller with conceptual achievements beyond standard genre requirements.” The 87% score encapsulates that positioning—solidly acclaimed without reaching the rarefied air of films like Goodfellas or The Godfather, yet clearly separated from standard or mediocre entries in the genre.
As streaming platforms and new critical outlets create additional opportunities for films to be reviewed and rereviewed, the core 87% consensus is likely to persist because the film’s fundamental strengths and limitations haven’t changed since its theatrical release.
Conclusion
The Usual Suspects’ 87% Rotten Tomatoes critic score reflects genuine critical consensus that the 1995 crime thriller successfully executes an ambitious, narratively complex screenplay with strong ensemble performances and directorial confidence. This score places the film among well-regarded entries in the crime and heist subgenres while acknowledging that not every critic found the execution flawless.
The 87% represents roughly 72 positive reviews out of 83 assessed, which indicates broad approval without claiming unanimity of excellence.
For viewers considering whether to watch The Usual Suspects, the 87% score provides reliable guidance that the film merits viewing, particularly for those interested in screenwriting craftsmanship, narrative structure, and 1990s cinema. However, understanding what the score means—approval rather than unanimous acclaim—helps set appropriate expectations.
The film’s critical reputation has held remarkably steady across three decades, suggesting that its strengths have endured while its limitations have remained consistent, making it a rare example of a twist-ending film that functions as more than just the surprise itself.
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