The Usual Suspects Manipulation Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Usual Suspects.

Quote #4

KUJAN: No, Verbal. You weren't friends. Keaton didn't have friends. He saved you because he wanted it that way. It was his will.

VERBAL: No…

KUJAN: Keaton was Keyser Söze.

Kujan doesn't really believe Keaton was Söze, just that he's the nearest thing—the main criminal manipulating events from behind the scenes. Kujan doesn't believe that the actual Söze, with his masterly criminal abilities, really exists (though he knows better once the movie ends).

Quote #5

KUJAN: He used all of you to get him on that boat. He couldn't get on alone and he had to pull the trigger himself to make sure he got his man. The one man that could identify him.

VERBAL: This is all bulls***.

KUJAN: He left you to stay behind and tell us he was dead. You saw him die, right? Or did you? You had to hide when the first police cars showed up. You heard the shot, just before the fire but you didn't see him die.

When Verbal says, "This is all bulls***," he's actually telling the truth. He's successfully manipulated Kujan into believing a false version of events and mistaking Keaton for the arch-criminal. Verbal pretends to be resistant to Kujan's theory about Keaton, but it's actually the very thing he wants Kujan to believe.

Quote #6

KUJAN: He programmed you to tell us just what he wanted you to. Customs has been investigating him for years. He knew we were close. You said it yourself. Where is the political pressure coming from? Why are you being protected? It's Keaton making sure you tell us what you're supposed to. Immunity is your reward.

In reality, Verbal's being protected because he is a master manipulator pulling the strings of power. He's been protecting himself through his own devious application of his abilities. But Kujan thinks Keaton is still alive, contrary to what Verbal told him.