*PLEASE READ* These are going to be my entries dedicated to pitting two different movie against each other and see which one wins my favor, much like how I pit two animals in my basement and see which one deserves the rank of my new pet. These movies are usually similar in some line of genre, and I will take into account the pros and cons of each movie while comparing them. Now while I do choose one movie, I would most likely highly recommend either one to watch. While I will stick by my opinions, please keep in mind that these are just what they are, opinions. If you like one movie more favorably than the other I review, or if you feel differently about I comment/criticism I make, I will fully accept your opinions, just PLEASE make them well-developed ones; don't personally attack me with ad hominem arguments.

Please feel free to leave a comment about the entry, a comment/criticism about either/both of the movies, or make a suggestion about the next VERSUS I should make about.

I will try not to spoil the movie for anyone.

Let the fun begin.



VERSUS: Usual Suspects vs Reservoir Dogs

Alright, fellow Spillians, it's time to take my new segment for a spin. Today we have Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs up against Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects. And yes, while I do realize that they both had tremendously different budgets, I will try my best to compare them.

PLOT
Both movies deal with rather devious jobs that promise wealth, but unfortunately both hit snags along the way. With The Usual Suspects, the plot is more of a focused narrative as the mystery of the dockside 'incident' is retold by the last surviving member of the gang of crooks that went their to steal the ship's apparent cargo of drugs, or so it would seem. Reservoir Dogs deals with a botched job at robbing a bank while juxtaposing flashbacks of the characters to flesh out their stories. While both films employ flashbacks to tell parts of the story, I felt that The Usual Suspects used them more effectively, while Reservoir Dogs seemed to meander along aimlessly in the past using flashbacks that seem almost unnecessary or out-of-place (a criticism I have with Tarantino's style, but he got better with using with Kill Bill). The Usual Suspect layers the plot with each new tidbit of information and makes the ending reveal all the more enjoyable and shocking; Reservoir Dogs, while having it's own plot twist, relies primarily on the characters feeling of getting caught and mistrust of each other to tell the story, qualities that were employed much more creatively in The Usual Suspects. Overall, the complexity used in The Usual Suspects trumps even the most tension filled moments in Reservoir Dogs

Winner: The Usual Suspects



MISE-EN-SCèNE (The art of the shot)

With Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino prefers to use obscure or dated songs as well as long or oblique shots that are completely odd compared to any standard crime/caper movie and definitely captures the odd imaginative style Tarantino uses. The Usual Suspects, however, follows a more traditional style of filming with a wider assortment of shots from various ranges; being a more subtle film style, the only filming technique that really stand out is the shots with multiple characters in frame as well as having conversations that have all the actors in focus, even as they're different lengths away from the camera. Reservoir Dogs wins this section with a more unique film style.

Winner: Reservoir Dogs



ACTION:

Reservoir Dogs chooses it's action scenes wisely by making most of the gun fights take place after the bank was robbed, and by making the famous 'stand-off' at the end filled with suspense. In The Usual Suspects, even though the violence appears in the flashbacks, the action seems more ramped up because of the mystery surrounding the reality of what happened to the merry band of misfits; not to mention that there is a larger variety of shootouts in the movie, as well. In the end, I tip my hat to The Usual Suspects.

Winner: The Usual Suspects



CHARACTERS:

I'll be honest with you guys, I didn't really feel for the characters in Reservoir Dogs, sure they say "fuck" every two seconds and attempt to appear more bad-ass than the previous guy in the room, but, come on, Tarantino practically gave every single guy in the film the same personality (bad-ass who acts like professional, bad-ass who's crazy, bad-ass who's a snitch, etc.). The Usual Suspects had very well rounded characters and every single one felt like an individual, well, except for the character Todd Hockney (played by Kevin Pollak) who just seems to be a background character. No contest, Usual Suspects, hands down.

Winner: The Usual Suspects



OVERALL: The Usual Suspects
With everything said and done, if you're looking for a crime story with memorable characters along with a fantastic plot, give your money over to The Usual Suspects. Seriously, I can't give this film enough praise, go see it for yourself.





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