TEHRAN – American filmmaker Brian Singer’s film The Ornal Suspects was screened on Wednesday during a session at Tehran’s Arasbaran Cultural Center.
Iranian film critic Amir Kadeli attended a review session following the film’s screening.
“Normal Suspect” is a 1995 crime thriller featuring a well-known cast including Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Pollack, Chaz Palminteri, Pete Postlesswaite and Kevin Spacey.
The story revolves around the interrogation of Roger “oral” Kint, a small con artist with only two survivors following the brutal massacre on a ship aboard Roger’s port. Through a combination of flashbacks and narration, verbally tells the complicated story of events that led him and his criminal accomplice to the ship. The story unfolds in a complex twist, gradually revealing the truth behind the confusion and deception.
Produced on a modest $6 million budget, the title “The Ornal Suspects” is inspired by a column in the “Spy” magazine and refers to one of the famous lines of Claude Rains on “Casablanca.” Brian Singer thought the phrase would create an interesting film title and captured the mystery of the story.
The film, which first began competing at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995, saw its limited release before garnering extensive acclaim. Critics praised the clever script, the complicated plot, and in particular Kevin Spacey’s persuasive performance. The film’s stunning plot twist marked the storytelling, with Christopher McCarley winning an Academy Award, with the original best script and Oscar’s Kevin Spacey winning the best supporting actor. The writer Guild of America solidified its place in cinema history, ranking the script as the 35th greatest ever.
The plot begins with a violent scene in which a seriously injured Dean Keaton approaches the ship by a mysterious figure called “Keyser.” Subsequent police investigations revealed the remains of 27 people, Hungarian gangster Arkosh Kovash and oral Kind, with only two survivors. US customs agent Dave Kujang verbally interrogates and verbally tells the complicated story that will lead you to New York City until six weeks later. Keaton, Berbal and his companions (Michael McManus, Fred Fenster, and Todd Hockney) were arrested for hijacking a truck. By robbing jewel smugglers, they hatch a plan to seek revenge from corrupt police officers, which leads to a series of violent, failed robberies.
The story deepens as you learn about Keeser Soze, the elusive criminal who works from the shadows. Their involvement with Soze’s companions leads to a series of betrayals, murders and ultimate conflict with the ship. The twist in the story reveals that the sauce may be closer to them than they are aware – perhaps Keaton himself. In a shocking revelation, Kujang speculates that Keaton is actually Zos and adjusts the entire chaos to cover his tracks. The verbal confesses at last, but it is revealed that his story is ultimately a production. It’s an improvisation made from scattered clues and semi-truth. As he leaves, the verbal Kint is revealed to be the Keeser sauce, with the illusion of his limp and hand movements designed to deceive everyone, including Kujan.
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