"I mean, a lot of pattern-aware viewers are going to see the Verbal twist coming," I said.
Robert and I were sitting alone in a dressing room, waiting for the next interview on the promotional tour for The Usual Suspects. The past few days had become a cycle of hotels and journalists asking slightly different versions of the same questions. I was finding it increasingly repetitive, but having Robert with me made it more enjoyable.
Robert nodded from the chair opposite mine.
"Well, they've spent more than twenty years watching films about unreliable narrators, hidden identities, elaborate conspiracies, and all that," he said.
"Yes, that," I said.
Audiences had become far more familiar with that kind of storytelling.
"But it's fine," I continued. "I think we've made a movie that works even when someone figures it out early. A lot of people still won't see it coming, and they'll enjoy the reveal for what it is. The ones who hyperanalyse everything while they're watching will probably work it out, but I think they'll still enjoy how we get there."
I looked down at my phone. After this interview, Robert and I would be going our separate ways. He and the rest of the cast had several talk-show appearances scheduled, while I had other promotional commitments. Margot and I were filming something for a YouTube channel. It was supposed to promote The Usual Suspects and Suicide Squad at the same time.
Efficient, if nothing else.
Looking back at the finished movie, I had changed far more than I had originally intended. This version of The Usual Suspects was substantially different from the film I remembered, even though it retained the core identity that had made the original work.
Keaton's expanded role altered the entire emotional centre of the story. The structure had also changed, with more of the investigation happening outside Verbal's narration and greater attention being given to the relationships among the suspects.
The film no longer revolved entirely around protecting one final revelation.
The twist mattered, but it was no longer the only reason to watch. Robert had been given much more to do as Keaton, transforming him from the apparent protagonist of Verbal's story into a deeply complicated man. Paul's performance as Verbal was equally strong.
I expected both of them to receive Academy Award nominations.
The film had a real chance in several categories. Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actor were all possibilities.
My own chances were less certain. Directing was going to be competitive, and awards voters could sometimes be reluctant to reward someone who had already won. I had won three times.
Robert and Paul, however, would be among the leading contenders.
The dressing-room door opened, and one of the producers leaned inside.
"They're ready for you."
Robert stood and straightened his jacket.
"All right. Let's go do this autocorrect thing."
"Autocomplete, Bob."
===========
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. & DANIEL ADLER ANSWER THE WEB'S MOST SEARCHED QUESTIONS | WIRED
The video opened with Robert Downey Jr. and Daniel Adler sitting side by side against a plain white background.
Robert looked directly into the camera.
"I'm Robert Downey Jr."
"I'm Daniel Adler."
"And this is the Google Autocorrect Interview."
Daniel laughed.
Robert glanced sideways at him.
"What?"
"Autocomplete."
"Right. The Google Autocomplete Interview."
The WIRED introduction played.
When the video returned, Daniel was holding a large white board covered with strips of paper.
"All right, Bob. These are the internet's most searched questions about you."
Daniel pulled away the first strip.
"Does Robert Downey Jr. do his own stunts?"
Robert immediately nodded.
"Yes. I mean, you can ask Danny here. He has seen me work."
Daniel nodded.
"I've seen him refuse to use a stunt double for things that did not require a stunt double."
Laughter came from behind the camera.
"I'm committed to authenticity," Robert added, ignoring it.
He looked toward the camera.
"I'm also committed to doing fewer and fewer of my own stunts. I've done far too many this year."
Daniel pulled away the next strip.
"Does Robert Downey Jr. own an Iron Man suit?"
Robert looked disappointed.
"The real one? No. Sadly, I do not. The one they used on set Sadly not that too."
"But I do," Daniel said.
Robert slowly turned toward him.
"What?"
"I own one."
"You own an Iron Man suit?"
"Yeah I do, I have it sitting in my office."
Robert stared at him.
"Of course you do. Billionaire. I forgot I was in the presence of the billionaire Daniel Adler."
Daniel smiled.
"You could be Iron Man," Robert continued. "You already have the money, the ego, the technology companies..."
"I'm sure I could manage it."
"Did you have one made or something?"
"No, Kevin Feige gave it to me."
Robert's expression changed.
"Kevin gave you an Iron Man suit?"
"It was one you wore in the first movie."
Robert stared at him in genuine disbelief.
"I asked for that suit many times."
Daniel giggled.
"And Kevin always said it wasn't available."
Robert looked directly into the camera.
"I have to call Bob Iger."
Daniel began laughing.
"This is corruption," Robert declared. "Open corruption at the highest levels of the entertainment industry."
Several members of the crew laughed from behind the cameras.
Robert pointed at Daniel.
"This man has stolen my armour."
The video cut.
Robert now held a board containing questions about Daniel.
He pulled away the first strip.
"Where does Daniel Adler get all his ideas?"
Daniel considered the question.
"They usually just come to me."
Robert nodded slowly.
"For 12 Angry Men, I happened to be watching a lot of films from the 1950s. There were several courtroom dramas, and that made me want to write something contained entirely inside a jury room."
He continued.
"Percy Jackson came from helping my stepfather with some of his work. That led me into Greek mythology, and the idea developed from there. Most of the time, I find something interesting and keep pulling at it until a story appears."
Robert faced the camera.
"And there you have it, everyone. That is Daniel Adler's secret."
"Or I could be a time traveller," Daniel added.
"I could have awakened in the past and decided to use my knowledge of the future to write successful books and films."
There was a brief silence.
Then they both laughed.
Daniel shrugged.
"People on the internet genuinely say that about me."
Robert pulled away another strip.
"Is Daniel Adler actually American?"
Daniel stared at the question.
"Yes."
"You hesitated there for a moment."
"I was wondering why anyone needed to search for that."
The video cut back to Daniel holding another board of questions about Robert.
He pulled away the next strip.
"How did Robert Downey Jr. become Iron Man?"
Robert placed one hand over his heart.
"It was God's will."
Daniel laughed.
"That's it?"
"And because I was very cheap. I had a great screen test, and then the studio discovered I was willing to accept very little money. Suddenly, everyone was very enthusiastic."
Daniel nodded.
"Well, that would do it."
"I mean, it worked out."
"It did…It did"
"That movie changed everything."
Robert's expression became more thoughtful.
"I remember when it was about to come out," Daniel said. "I had seen the trailer at Comic-Con and told people at Stardust that it could be something special. There was a superhero malaise at the time, but this movie looked new and exciting. I knew it would work."
"When the film became a success, it proved that superhero movies could work again. That was when I began pushing harder for Stardust to acquire DC and build our own thing."
"So, in a way, I created the DC Cinematic Universe as well," Robert said.
"In a very indirect way."
Robert nodded proudly.
"You're welcome."
He turned nervously towards the camera.
"Is Disney going to send a death squad after me for talking about DC?"
Robert narrowed his eyes.
"I never usually talk about DC. Maybe they did something to me. Some kind of programming. I remember a dark room. Flashing lights," he joked.
Daniel laughed.
Robert smiled before becoming more serious.
"But yes, Iron Man changed my life. It changed a lot of lives. It gave me opportunities I never imagined I would have again."
He gestured towards Daniel.
"And the reason I ended up making this movie with him was The Dark Knight. I watched it and thought, 'Wow. First, we need to make our movies much better. Second, I need to work with the kid who wrote this.'"
"And here we are."
The video cut.
Daniel pulled another strip from the board.
"Okay, this might be the shameless promotional part of the video."
Robert leaned forward.
"Finally."
"Who does Robert Downey Jr. play in The Usual Suspects?"
Robert looked towards the camera.
"I play Dean Keaton, a former police officer who has spent years involved in organised crime and is desperately attempting to leave that life behind."
Daniel nodded.
"He is not very successful at leaving. He becomes involved with a group of criminals, and from there, an apparently simple job turns into something much larger."
"Anything else?" Robert asked.
"I think that is enough without entering spoiler territory."
"It's a great movie. That's all everyone needs to know. Trust me, you have to watch it," Robert added.
The video cut again.
Robert held another board of questions about Daniel.
He peeled away the first strip.
"What if Daniel Adler headed the Marvel Cinematic Universe?"
Daniel answered immediately.
"It would have been bad."
Robert looked at him in surprise.
"Really?"
"I think so. My style of storytelling fits DC better. I could have made Marvel work, but it would have been very different."
"How different?"
"Tony Stark would have been an alcoholic asshole most of the time."
Robert laughed.
"There would have been major changes if I had controlled it from the beginning. Some might have worked. Others probably would not have."
Robert nodded.
"I respect the honesty."
He removed the next strip.
"What is Daniel Adler's best movie?"
"12 Angry Men."
Daniel considered his answer for a moment.
"It earned me my first Oscar, and it was the first time I felt like people in the industry began taking me seriously as a filmmaker."
Robert looked towards the camera.
"I have no Oscars, by the way. This man has three."
Daniel shrugged.
"I did win two of them on the same night."
Robert stared at him.
"Now he's rubbing salt into the wound."
The crew laughed.
The video moved quickly through several more questions, cutting between Robert and Daniel as they exchanged boards.
Robert pulled away another strip and began reading.
"Does Daniel Adler have a…"
He stopped.
His eyebrows rose.
Daniel leaned closer.
"What?"
Robert removed the rest of the paper.
"Does Daniel Adler have a harem?"
The entire crew erupted into laughter.
Robert laughed louder than anyone, bending forward and gripping the board.
Daniel covered his face for a moment.
Robert finally looked at him.
"Well, Daniel?"
"No."
"Do you have a harem?"
"No."
Robert pointed towards him.
"That hesitation was not a no."
"It's a stupid internet theory that I secretly have a harem of actresses."
Robert began laughing again.
===========
JIMMY KIMMEL SHOW
Jimmy Kimmel sat behind his desk while Robert Downey Jr., Paul Dano, Scarlett Johansson, and Michael Pena occupied the chairs and couch beside him.
Jimmy glanced down at his cards.
"You've all worked with some very different directors over the years, so what was it like working with Daniel Adler? This is only his second time directing after spending many years as a writer and producer. Scarlett, I believe your first major film was with Daniel, and it was also his first film."
Scarlett nodded.
"Yes," she said. "Daniel and I have shared many firsts."
The audience laughed.
Scarlett smiled innocently while Robert turned towards her. The laughter grew louder.
Scarlett waited for it to settle before answering.
"Working with Daniel on The Blair Witch Project was unlike anything I had done before. Neither of us really knew what to expect. It was his first film he wrote, and it was my first major role, so we were both figuring things out as we went."
Scarlett answers the question saying how it was working with Daniel for the Blair Witch project and how they became friends after.
Jimmy looked towards Robert.
"What is Daniel actually like as a director?"
Robert leaned back in his chair.
"Every director works differently, and Daniel certainly has his quirks."
Paul nodded beside him.
"That's one way of saying it."
Robert continued.
"He can be a completely normal director. He does the usual calls of 'action' and 'cut.' His directions are very clear, and he is probably the most prepared filmmaker I've ever worked with."
"He knows exactly what he wants before he arrives," Paul added.
"The scenes are planned down to the smallest detail," Robert said. "The schedule is almost perfect. Sometimes we would finish a scene on the first or second take, and he would immediately move on. That efficiency makes him one of the best directors I've ever worked with."
The audience applauded.
Robert waited for the applause to settle.
"But then there's the other Daniel."
Jimmy smiled.
"The other Daniel?"
"The one who forgets that he needs to tell the actors when filming has started."
Robert sat forward.
"So, this is me as Daniel Adler. We've just finished preparing a scene, and Daniel has sat down behind the monitor. This is how he tells us to begin."
Robert lowered his voice, imitating Daniel.
"Okay. Go ahead."
The audience laughed.
"He says it exactly like that," Robert continued. "Very quietly. We'd all be standing there, looking at one another and wondering whether the cameras were rolling."
Michael Penajoined in.
"It happened when he wanted us to stop too. We would be in the middle of a scene, and Daniel would just say..."
Michael imitated Daniel's quiet voice.
"Okay, that's enough."
He looked around as though waiting for a response.
"But nobody heard him, so we just kept acting."
The audience laughed.
"We finished the entire scene," Michael continued. "Then I looked towards where Daniel had been standing, and he was gone. He was already behind the monitors watching the footage."
The audience laughed again.
Robert spoke up.
"But it was a great experience. Daniel is one of the greatest filmmakers working today, and I don't say that lightly."
The audience applauded again.
"He understands the technical side of filmmaking better than almost anyone I've met."
Robert glanced towards the others.
"And he's only twenty-six. That is a ridiculous achievement."
===========
Jack arrived at the cinema with Aaron, Janine, Martha, Tyler, and Morgan less than ten minutes before the screening began. The lobby was crowded. Posters for The Usual Suspects covered the walls, each showing the five men from the police lineup beneath the shadow of Keyser Soze.
Aaron stopped in front of the largest one.
"I still think the marketing is giving away too much."
Tyler looked at the poster.
"What, that RDJ. is in it?"
Aaron ignored him.
He was the only serious cinephile in the group, or at least the only one who described himself that way. He maintained accounts on several film forums and posted lengthy reviews within hours of every release. Basically, he was very annoying whenever they went to the cinema. They did not even invite him to fun movies from the DCU or MCU anymore because he always complained about them.
They had seen that Daniel Adler had a new movie coming out and decided that was reason enough to watch it. It was a Daniel Adler film. It had to be good.
As they joined the queue for snacks, Janine began talking about Adler's next project.
"Apparently, he's making a movie with Margot next."
"Oh, that's nice," Martha said.
"Something called Ready or Not," Janine continued. "It's about a bride being hunted by her new husband's family on her wedding night. And get this, he's making it right before their own wedding."
"Maybe Margot should be worried," Jack said to his friends' amusement.
They entered the theatre and found seats near the centre.
The lights dimmed a few minutes later.
From the opening scene, Jack found himself drawn into the story. The burning ship, the mysterious figure called Keyser Soze, and the interrogation of Verbal established the sense that something important had already happened.
Robert Downey Jr.'s Dean Keaton appeared to be at the centre of everything. Keaton was charismatic, angry, and exhausted. He insisted that he had abandoned crime, yet everyone around him treated that claim as another lie.
Jack liked him immediately. It was refreshing to see RDJ do something that was not Ironman.
The dialogue was excellent, and the film moved without wasting time. Every conversation revealed something about the men while creating more questions about the night on the ship.
Around half an hour into the film, Aaron leaned towards Jack.
"Verbal is Keyser Soze."
Jack kept his eyes on the screen.
"Shut up."
"I figured it out."
"Good for you."
"He is the obvious choice once you understand how unreliable narration works. The weak man nobody suspects is secretly controlling everything."
Jack turned towards him.
"Can you not do this during the movie?"
"I'm only saying."
Aaron leaned back, looking pleased with himself.
Jack tried to ignore him.
The problem was that once the possibility had been spoken aloud, it remained in his mind. Thankfully, the film gave him enough else to focus on.
Keaton's attempt to leave his criminal life behind became more important as the story continued. Robert played him as a man who wanted redemption but no longer knew whether he deserved it. The other suspects distrusted him, the police distrusted him, and even the woman he loved seemed uncertain whether the man she knew was real.
By the time the attack on the ship began, the entire auditorium had fallen silent.
One by one, the men were killed.
Keaton was the last to fall, confronted by a shadowed figure whose face remained hidden.
Then the story returned to the interrogation room.
Detective Kujan finally believed he understood everything. He told Verbal that Keaton had been Soze, that the entire operation had been designed to silence the final witness, and that Verbal had survived because he was too insignificant to matter.
Verbal appeared devastated.
It was some of the best acting Jack had ever seen. Paul was definitely getting an Oscar nomination or something. Jack had loved him as the Riddler in Batman too.
Kujan released him.
Jack watched as Verbal limped out of the station, collected his belongings, and walked down the pavement.
Inside the office, Kujan stared at the crowded noticeboard on the wall.
His expression slowly changed.
The name of a coffee company matched one of the people Verbal had mentioned. A place on a printed notice became another location from his story. Words, names, and fragments covered the board, each one transformed into part of the account Verbal had given him.
The coffee cup slipped from Kujan's hand.
It shattered against the floor.
Several people in the theatre gasped.
"Oh," Martha whispered.
On the screen, Verbal continued walking.
His limp began to disappear.
His twisted hand slowly straightened.
The harmless, frightened man vanished with every step until he was walking normally.
A fax arrived at the police station with a reconstructed image of Keyser Soze.
It was Verbal's face.
The theatre erupted in shocked murmurs.
"No fucking way," Tyler said.
Janine covered her mouth.
Jack leaned forward, despite Aaron shifting smugly beside him.
Kujan ran outside, desperately searching the street, but Verbal was already entering a waiting car.
The vehicle pulled away.
The film ended without offering any clear answer about how much of the story had actually been true.
For several seconds after the screen went black, the audience remained silent.
Then the credits appeared, and the room filled with conversation.
Aaron turned towards Jack immediately.
"I told you."
Jack ignored him.
"I said it half an hour in."
"Yes, Aaron. I heard you."
Jack had still enjoyed the reveal. Even with Aaron planting the possibility in his mind, Adler had managed to make it work.
He had made another great movie. He really was the man with the golden touch.
They walked out with the rest of the audience, and Jack heard conversations all around him.
"So, did any of that actually happen?" one man asked his friend.
"Well, everything on the ship happened."
"Keaton was the best character."
"The ending was incredible."
Aaron shook his head.
"It was stupid."
Jack stopped walking.
The others turned towards them.
Aaron continued.
"You could see the twist coming from miles away. It was too obvious. It's the oldest trick there is. The cowardly guy was the bad guy all along."
Jack stared at him.
"You know what? You almost ruined the movie for me, but no, I still managed to enjoy it."
Aaron frowned.
"So fuck you, Aaron. You're not coming to any more movies with us."
The others laughed as Aaron complained that it was not his fault he was too intelligent for the film.