The Usual Suspects
Set Up – In medias res (Also known as Non-Linear) opening sequence of crime/drama blockbuster film “The Usual Suspects” it opens up on the deck of a ship in San Pedro, California (EXT. NIGHT), where a man who is feared and world known as crime lord “Keyser Soze” seems to be speaking with who we later find out to be an injured Ex Police Officer Dean Keaton. The two talk briefly, when suddenly Keyser pulls out his gun and appears to shoot him Keaton gets shot by Keyser who we later on see flea from the scene before setting the ship ablaze. While appearing to be one the survivors of the tragedy Roger ‘Verbal ‘Kint explains briefly everything he knew to the FBI agents in exchange for immunity starting from six weeks before the incident. The other survivor was a Hungarian criminal and crew member who was found half dead on the scene and was later hospitalized later finds out he also knows who was responsible for the incident. And from there Kints story begins. The FBI find and track down five ‘usual suspects’ who were known criminals recognized for their behavior in society by getting up to no good But we are yet to find out how all characters are connected in an unusual way.
Conflict -In a New York police station the five criminals are brought together for questioning in a police line-up when an armored truck delivery goes south storing spare gun parts was robbed by one of the supposedly candidates of the line-up. (Introduction of Characters) Dean Keaton was an Ex Corrupt Police Officer, Michael McManus a man known for his hot temper, Fred Fenster who is the partner of McManus, Todd Hockney a hijacker who instantaneously forms a rivalry with McManus and Kint who we know to be the cerebral palsy con artist. As they all seem to have recognized each other this tells us that this isn’t the first time they’ve met. As you find out in the holding cell that they’ve met before McManus comes up the scheme to secretly plan a way to join forces and get revenge on the police. Committing targeting robberies on corrupt NYPD police officers that escort illegal smugglers in and around New York City. As the robbery goes as planned the group decides to head to California to sell the stolen goods to a man known as “Redfoot” while briefly talking to Redfoot he persuades the crew to take another job where jewels and money were promised. While on the job the crew soon discover that it was neither money nor jewels that they were stealing but heroin, infuriated by their discovery of this McManus and Redfoot get into a scuffle leaving on bad terms but before leaving Redfoot announces that the job came from a lawyer named “Kobayashi” wanting to speak to Kobayashi the group head out to confront him to later find that he was employed by “Koyser Soza ” himself blackmailing them into destroying cargo from an incoming ship at San Pedro harbor.
Resolution –
•In the present, Verbal tells Kujan the story of Keyser everything he supposedly knew about him and tells him the story of how he was harassed by a rival Hungarian gang in turkey leading up to Soze going on a murderous vendetta against all those who were involved in the plot ending the story with him apparently disappearing with no trace. Kint continues his version of the story by telling Kujan how fenster attempted to run away, but he was tracked and killed by kobayashi (off camera) the remaining members of the crew thinking Soze was a myth kidnapped Kobayashi intending to kill him if they wasn’t left alone. Before McManus could kill him he revealed that he had lawyer Edie Finnegan (Keaton’s Girlfriend) in his office and mentioned he had the will and the information and by all means had the permission to kill the remaining criminals if they didn’t go through with the arrangement. On the night of the cocaine deal Keaton and McManus discovered separately that there is no cocaine on the boat and the real reason why the boat was hijacked. Later on in the raid McManus gets stabbed in the back with a knife and Keaton gets shot in the back, a man dressed in a dark coat appears (presumably Keyser Soze) lights a cigarette with a gold lighter and speaks briefly to Keaton before shooting him again and setting the boat on ablaze (the scene in the beginning of the film). Kujan reveals the boat hijacking wasn’t about the cocaine but was to ensure one man aboard the ship died. It was known he was one of the only individuals alive that could positively identify Soze he also mentioned the death of Edie and concluded Keaton was Keyser, Verbal admits the whole affair posting bail with immunity. Kujan notices that details and names from Verbal’s story are words appearing on various objects around the room for example “Redfoot” is the name on a wanted poster, and “Kobayashi” is written on the bottom of a coffee cup that Verbal drank from earlier, quickly realizing half of his story was made up he runs out the office door as a fax arrives of a police artists impression of keyser soze’s face that resembled verbal kint as he leaves the station, kints distinctive limp gradually disappears and shakes out his palsied hand stepping into a car driven by “Mr Kobayashi”.
The Social Suspects
Set up -In the fall of October 2003 Harvard undergrad student Mark Zuckerberg stumbled across the idea to create a website where he allowed people to rate the attractiveness of other female students over the course of breaking up with his girlfriend earlier that night. In a few hours while intoxicated Mark heatedly and in the fury of blogging and programming he creates “FaceMash.com” and in result crushes Harvard’s computer network and is also loathed by the female community for their public humiliation on the other hand brings him to the attention of Harvard’s well known rowing twins, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss and business partner Divya Narendra helping build up Harvard connection.
Conflict -Soon afterwards mark approaches best friend Eduardo to tell him about a idea that will change the face of the world calling it the “the facebook” at the time, it being an online social networking site only exclusive to Harvard students only. Explaining the concept of the idea of it being a place where people could share personal and social information securely without having to worry about people hacking into their accounts or spam. Eduardo agrees to go along with the idea providing the $1,000 to start the company off. As it quickly becomes clear that “the facebook” was a big hit the twins and Narendar learn that mark pursued the idea while stalling on the idea of the Harvard connection without them, infuriated by marks actions Cameron and Divya seek to have justice by suing him for intellectual property theft, but brother Tyler convinces them by settling the matter like gentlemen without resorting to legal court. But by the spring of 2004 Facebook grows in popularity it expands to other schools in the state. The twins run out of patience of trying to get a hold of mark and in result go to the president of Harvard Larry summers to explain the situation of mark violating the Harvard student code of conduct, Larry dismisses them while seeing no potential value in their case to bring mark down and though Eduardo’s girlfriend Christly lee they arrange a meeting with the co-founder of Napster Sean Parker that comes up with the idea of simplifying the name of the company and renaming it the “Facebook”.
Resolution –
•In the summer of 04 Mark moves his company to the base of Palo Alto, California as Parker suggested while Eduardo remained in New York seeking advertising support from advertising companies, he was later confused at the fact why Sean was staying at the apartment and making important business decisions for the company, Him and mark later get into a argument in which later resulted in him freezing the companies bank account and furiously returning to New York. Upon his arrival back from New York Eduardo finds out that through Sean Parker the company has secured money from “an angel investor” meanwhile in London competing in the Henley royal regatta the Winklevoss twins learn that the Facebook has expanded to a number of universities around the state and finally deicide to go through with suing mark, Eduardo soon comes to discover that through his time away a deal has been signed with parkers investors that allows them to dilute his share of the company. While maintaining the ownership percentage of all other parties, later that night Parker along with a number of Facebook interns are arrested for the possession of cocaine during a party thrown on the occasion of hitting their 1 millionth member. In result of being sued by both twins and Eduardo they come to an agreement that was disclosed from the public.
Daniel Dorgu's Blog 