• Is first and foremost a masterful screenplay- won the Oscar
  • Certainly has noir elements in the film- some from 1949’s  D.O.A which I love (flashback structure of course, seedy elements (asphalt jungle group of criminals) – we have the brilliant dueling narrative structure of the flashback/interrogation
  • Singer was 27 when he directed it—He’d never really fulfill the promise of this debut- both Singer and his composer here John Ottman struck gold here
  • Very large talented cast. Yes the 5 in the lineup are impressive (Baldwin is amazing and Kevin Spacey is a revelation) but we have Dan Hedeya, Giancarlo Esposito, Pete Postlethwaite and Chazz Palminteri as well. The back and forth with Chazz and Spacey is particularly well done
  • Red herrings galore- Singer’s camera lingers on a pile of ropes with nothing behind it
  • The editing montage makes it looks like it’s keaton (Gabriel Byrne) when it isn’t. I love it all. The coffee cup breaking realization shot and finale (“greatest trick the devil ever played” and “what if you miss trying to shoot the devil in the back”) are sublime
  • Such entertaining denseness in the plot
  • A big part of what makes the narrative work is the creation of Keyser Söze—such reverence for a character that doesn’t exist
  • Must-see top 5 of the year quality film