‘The Usual Suspects’: Giancarlo Esposito’s Twisty Oscar-Winning Movie That Pre-Dates ‘Breaking Bad’

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Long before becoming known as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad, Giancarlo Esposito had a smaller role as Jack Baer in the classic crime film The Usual Suspects. Famous for its incredibly surprising ending, the movie won two Oscars and remains a highly-rated film, currently ranking at #48 on IMDB’s Top 250 Movies list.

I recently revisited this film after thirty years, and honestly, it’s still fantastic. Bryan Singer’s direction is so stylish, and the script by Christopher McQuarrie is just brilliantly crafted. Of course, the performances are phenomenal, led by a truly captivating Kevin Spacey. It’s tough to separate the art from the artist given everything that’s come out since, but it’s still a compelling watch. And a fun little Easter egg for Breaking Bad fans – you can spot Giancarlo Esposito playing a law enforcement officer decades before he became the iconic Gustavo Fring! It’s neat to see him on the other side of the law so early in his career.

What Is ‘The Usual Suspects’ About?


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Written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, The Usual Suspects is a smart and engaging crime thriller taking place in New York and California in the mid-1990s. The story begins when five criminals – Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollak), Fred Fenster (Benicio del Toro), and Michael McManus (William Baldwin) – meet during a police lineup after being arrested for a truck robbery. Instead of going their separate ways, they decide to team up and plan a much bigger crime: a diamond heist.

After a robbery goes wrong, five criminals discover they’ve been unknowingly stealing from Keyser Söze, a dangerous Hungarian crime boss. He forces them to pull off another risky job – destroying a $91 million cocaine shipment in the San Pedro harbor. This leads to a violent shootout with 27 casualties and triggers a major investigation by the FBI and LAPD.

With its clever, non-traditional storytelling, The Usual Suspects is packed with exciting action and surprising plot twists. The biggest shock comes in the final moments, when the true identity of Keyser Söze is revealed in a truly terrifying and suspenseful way. Perfectly timed music amplifies the impact of this twist, making the film’s ending one of the most satisfying and memorable in movie history.

Who Does Giancarlo Esposito Play in ‘The Usual Suspects’?


Grammercy Pictures

Everyone knows Giancarlo Esposito as the chilling Gus Fring from Breaking Bad, but honestly, he’s been a fantastic actor for decades! He started working in the late 70s and early 80s and has over 200 roles under his belt. Spike Lee really loved working with him – you can see him in classics like Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X. What I’ve always admired is how easily he moves between serious drama and comedy, and how completely he transforms himself for each part. It’s a real gift.

In the 1995 film The Usual Suspects, actor Benicio del Toro played FBI Agent Jack Baer, who investigates the deadly shooting on the San Pedro boat. Most of his scenes take place in an office with fellow investigators Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) and Sergeant Jeff Rabin (Dan Hedaya), where they question a suspect named Verbal Kint about the incident.

Fans of Breaking Bad might not immediately recognize Giancarlo Esposito in The Usual Suspects – he looks much younger! But his character, Agent Baer, plays a key role in the investigation. Baer gets a crucial lead when he interviews the only person who saw Keyser Söze. He also discovers the boat never carried the $91 million in cocaine everyone thought it did; the whole thing was a distraction to eliminate Söze’s enemies.

Once a sketch artist created a picture based on the survivor’s description, it was sent to Kujan and Rabin. However, it arrived too late, and Söze managed to pull off another bold crime, deeply disturbing Kujan. Esposito delivers a strong performance alongside seasoned actors Hedaya and Palminteri, and his character gets closer to capturing Söze than anyone had before. Baer’s contribution helped create a truly unforgettable plot twist, leading to McQuarrie winning an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Spacey receiving the Best Supporting Actor award.

Seeing Giancarlo Esposito play a key FBI agent long before his chilling role in Breaking Bad shows that even seemingly minor parts in Hollywood can be important. Talented character actors like him, who start with small roles in good films, can achieve widespread fame after years of dedication.

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2025-12-05 02:03