The Big Clue Everyone Missed Early In The Usual Suspects

The movie's opening scene shows Dean Keaton's (Gabriel Byrne) last moments as Keyser Soze finishes him off. While Soze's true identity is never revealed here, there are a few things to pick up on if you're paying attention — including the use of a gold cigarette lighter.

It's just a tiny detail, and the film is full of them — most notably demonstrated when agent Kujan finally notices all the bits and pieces from the office that have been artfully woven into the tale being spun by Kint during his interview. But by then, it's a moment too late because Verbal Kint has left the building and has already disappeared.

However, on his way to that final vanishing act, Kint retrieves his personal belongings from the police station. Among the items is a familiar gold cigarette lighter, which he then uses on the street before stepping into a waiting car. This is when it's evident that Kint is Keyer Soze and has lied about everything. He doesn't even have a limp — and he probably wasn't even in a barbershop quartet like he implied. How dare he!

So yes, this clue doesn't pay off until the end. But still, the clever viewer will be tipped off just before everyone else, and in a movie like "The Usual Suspects," isn't that how you play the game?