In the famous 'lineup identification' scene, if those men hadn't laughed but had completed the process seriously, would they still have formed a team 'without fighting but becoming friends' as they did later? Or was that chaos and shared mockery of authority the catalyst for their alliance?

Okay, here is the translation:

Hey, that question hits the nail on the head! The lineup scene in The Usual Suspects is absolutely a classic in film history and key to understanding how these guys came together.

In my view, if that lineup had played out seriously and formally, they most likely would NOT have formed a cohesive team like they did later. At best, it would have been a temporary criminal crew, disbanding after one job, maybe even double-crossing each other.

That chaos and shared mockery was absolutely the catalyst for their alliance.

Let's break it down into two scenarios:

Scenario 1: Serious Procedure (No Laughter)

Imagine if they all kept straight faces, dutifully delivering their lines: "Hand me the keys, you cocksucker."

What would the result be?
- A relationship of distrustful "colleagues": All five are seasoned criminals, hauled in by the cops. Their first instinct towards each other is wariness and suspicion. Who's the rat? Who's going to sell me out? In this atmosphere, even if they were later brought together by the same person (represented by Keyser Söze's lawyer, Kobayashi), it would only be a cold, purely transactional partnership. Like a bunch of freelance mercenaries thrown together for a project, trusting no one, constantly watching their backs.
- Lack of emotional bond: Without that laughter, there's no shared, defiant "highlight moment." They wouldn't develop any sense of "we're in this together." Such a team is incredibly fragile; under pressure or with uneven profit sharing, it would collapse instantly.
- Authority remains authority: Completing the procedure seriously means they submitted to police authority in that moment. This would make them feel like pawns being manipulated, not players controlling the game. This mindset wouldn't help them later take the initiative and pull off such a big operation.

Scenario 2: Chaotic Laughter (What Actually Happened in the Film)

Now look at what actually happened in the movie. Starting with Fenster unable to hold back his laugh, followed by McManus, until everyone cracked up – the whole thing was filled with mockery and contempt for police authority.

This little outbreak of laughter had several crucial chemical effects:

Instant "Us vs. Them" Formation That laughter acted like a signal. It drew a clear line between the police (authority/enemy) and the suspects (us/our people). By laughing together at the cops, they instantly transformed from five separate suspects into a "we" with a common "enemy." This is the most primal and powerful driver of team formation.
A Quick "Character Test" and "Blood Oath" Do you dare laugh along? Do you dare show you don't take the cops seriously right to their faces? This was a silent test. Those who dared to laugh revealed a shared rebelliousness and audacity deep down. This was more powerful than any verbal pledge. Fenster's laugh was the spark, and the others (especially a veteran like Keaton) joining in was like offering an invisible "blood oath" – I'm one of you.
Humor is the Best Icebreaker These guys were all tough nuts, each with a big ego. In the high-tension interrogation environment, a serious start would only heighten their defensiveness. But a collective burst of laughter drastically eased the tension, letting these hard cases show their real, relaxed sides. This shared, genuine moment of joy is the fastest shortcut to building rapport. They "bonded through conflict," and that "conflict" was making a joke together at authority's expense.
Set the Team's Tone This team, from the very start, wasn't a rigid hierarchy but a gang defined by chaos, improvisation, and a rebellious spirit. This laughter perfectly foreshadowed their later modus operandi: bold, unconventional, reveling in the thrill of breaking the rules.

Conclusion

So, back to your question:

If they'd gone through the procedure seriously, they might have temporarily cooperated due to shared interest (like the job offered by Kobayashi), but it would have been a "ragtag group" riddled with suspicion, inefficient, and prone to infighting at any moment.

It was precisely that seemingly accidental laughter, that shared mockery of authority, acting like a catalyst, that fused five disparate chemical elements together instantly, giving birth to a true "team." They gained a shared emotional memory, an identity of "we're in this together." This foundation was key to them pulling off that string of major crimes later.

You could say, without that laughter, there would be no legendary criminal crew in the rest of The Usual Suspects. That's why this scene is hailed as a classic – it uses a tiny, lifelike detail to accomplish the most crucial character relationship building.