Film poster analysis: 'The Usual Suspects' (1995)

The Usual Suspects (1995) are a crime thriller directed by Bryan singer and stars Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne and Chazz Palminteri.  A boat has been destroyed, criminals are dead, and the key to this mystery lies with the only survivor and his twisted, convoluted story beginning with five career crooks in a seemingly random police line-up. The film poster displays five of the main characters on a police line-up. This image immediately informs the audience that this movie is about crime and violence but also more importantly it highlights the fact that the main protagonists in this movie are criminals. Each of the characters appearances is unique and interesting this therefore creates an increased sense of avidity for the audience. The differences in costume, body language and facial expressions can help give the audience an inkling as to what type of criminals these characters are. The first protagonist on the left is wearing very casual clothes which could symbolise that this character doesn’t like to stand out and commits crimes that do not necessarily result in a lot of money due to his very casual cheap clothes. The second man is dressed in all black and has a big leather jacket. The costume of this character could show the audience that this character is very over confident and can make rash decisions. Also, his body language tells the audience that he is very outspoken as he has his chest out and head up demonstrating his overconfidence. The third character is wearing a casual suit with his top buttons undone and collars up. This could show the audience that he takes pride in his appearance and maybe that he is a bit of a ladies man. The fourth character looks very unhappy due to his facial expressions. We see this character in a quite cheap suit and tie which could represent he has been trying to stop being a criminal and become a good citizen. The final character looks very unconfident his body language suggests that he maybe has a disability or some sought of mental illness. The plain white background combined with the almost demonic shadows behind the characters help emphasize the fact that these characters are not nice and bad things will happen in the movie. Furthermore, the height measuring lines included on the police line-up could exemplify the fact that these characters are crooks as they are similar to the bars of a prison. The title of film is in a very bold font which draws the audience’s attention.