OVERLAY REPORT

In the 1995 film *The Usual Suspects*, the most crucial action made by the lead character, **Roger "Verbal" Kint** (who is revealed to be the legendary crime lord **Keyser Söze**), is the **fabrication of an elaborate, improvised story** during his interrogation by U.S. Customs Agent Dave Kujan. This act of deception is the structural and narrative heart of the film, serving as a "con within a con." While the physical action of killing Arturo Marquez (the only man who could identify Söze) on the ship was the mission's objective, the *storytelling* is what allows Söze to manipulate the legal system, secure immunity, and walk out of the police station a free man. ### The Crucial Action: The "Verbal" Deception Throughout the film, Verbal Kint performs the role of a physically disabled, weak, and "chatty" small-time criminal. His most crucial action is **weaving a narrative from "props"** in Agent Kujan's office. He uses names, locations, and details found on a cluttered bulletin board and the bottom of a coffee mug (the brand "Kobayashi") to create a believable backstory. This action accomplishes three things: 1. **Redirection:** He convinces Kujan that the real mastermind (Keyser Söze) is actually Dean Keaton, Kujan's personal nemesis. 2. **Protection:** By playing a "gimp" with cerebral palsy, he lowers Kujan’s guard, making the investigator feel intellectually superior and less likely to suspect him of being a ruthless killer. 3. **Survival:** It buys him exactly enough time for his "immunity" to be processed and for his getaway to be staged. ### Who Helped Him? Verbal Kint/Keyser Söze is assisted by two key figures: one witting and one unwitting. * **The Witting Helper: "Mr. Kobayashi" (played by Pete Postlethwaite)** The man known as Kobayashi is Söze’s primary accomplice and "lawyer." He is the one who orchestrates the logistics of the blackmailing of the five suspects, provides them with the intel for their jobs, and ultimately facilitates Söze's escape. At the film's climax, as Söze sheds his "Verbal" persona (dropping the limp and lighting a cigarette with his previously "useless" hand), Kobayashi is the one waiting in a car to drive him away. * **The Unwitting Helper: Agent Dave Kujan (played by Chazz Palminteri)** Ironically, the antagonist of the interrogation is the one who helps Söze the most. Kujan’s own arrogance and obsession with Dean Keaton lead him to "fill in the blanks" for Verbal. Kint feeds Kujan small, suggestive details, and Kujan—believing he is the smarter man—assembles them into the theory Söze *wants* him to believe. By "forcing" the conclusion that Keaton is Söze, Kujan effectively protects the real Söze from further investigation. ### Specific Detail of the Reveal The most iconic moment illustrating the success of this action occurs in the final minutes. As Verbal walks away from the station, Kujan looks at his bulletin board and realizes that the "Redfoot" Verbal mentioned was a name from a file, "Skokie, Illinois" was from a poster, and the name of Söze's lawyer was printed on the bottom of his own coffee cup. By the time Kujan runs into the street to catch him, the "limp" has vanished, and Söze has disappeared into Kobayashi's car.