Snake Eyes (1998)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers (WGA):

Brian De Palma (story) &
David Koepp (story) ...

Release Date:

7 August 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Believe Everything Except Your Eyes

Plot:

A shady police detective finds himself in the middle of a murder conspiracy at an important boxing match in an Atlantic City casino.

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Conspiracy | Assassination | Casino | Murder

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Rick Santoro
Gary Sinise	...	Commander Kevin Dunne
John Heard	...	Gilbert Powell
Carla Gugino	...	Julia Costello
Stan Shaw	...	Lincoln Tyler
Kevin Dunn	...	Lou Logan
Michael Rispoli	...	Jimmy George
Joel Fabiani	...	Charles Kirkland
Luis Guzmán	...	Cyrus (as Luis Guzman)
David Anthony Higgins	...	Ned Campbell
Mike Starr	...	Walt McGahn
Tamara Tunie	...	Anthea
Chip Zien	...	Mickey Alter
Michaella Bassey	...	Tyler's Party Girl #2
Paul Joseph Bernardo	...	Casino Security #1

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Philippines:PG-13 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) (cut) | Singapore:PG (original rating) (cut) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14A | Canada:G (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

DeBart

Trivia:

The original ending, which was a massive special effects sequence created by Industrial Light and Magic, involved a huge tidal wave going through the casino. This ending was cut out in post-production. Numerous references to it still remain in the final film: a shot near the end of the film shows an ambulance driving down an ocean-side road with a wave about to crash into it before the film cuts to another shot; Nicholas Cage's character talks about almost drowning at the very end of the film; references to a storm are made throughout the entire film, which were all meant to build up to the action-packed climax that was cut out.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ricky and Kevin are going to get Julia, Ricky's wounds change many times.

Quotes:

Rick: This is fight night and I am the king.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 22 (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Come On

Brian De Palma, Nicolas Cage, and Gary Sinise are in top form. The script is not.

** 1/2 out of ****

For nearly 80 minutes Snake Eyes is fascinating entertainment. Not only is the storyline engrossing, but the camerawork is truly brilliant and the behind-the-scenes look of a boxing match is compelling. Add to this two of Hollywood's most talented actors in Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinise and you'd expect an edge-of-the-seat, fast-paced, plot-twisting thriller. Well, for the most part the film works, but unfortunately bogs down with quite a bad ending.

The film takes place during a boxing match in Atlantic City, which is currently hounded by a raging tropical storm. Detective Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage) is there to place some bets and watch the game with his best friend, Commander Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise), the same man who is also guarding the Secretary of Defense.

However, something goes wrong, Dunne is taken off position by a red-haired woman, and the Secretary is shot by an assailant. Dunne, in turn, manages to take down the assassin, but an another crisis occurs when all the spectators try to leave. They're locked in, thus holding 14,000 eyewitnesses inside while Santoro tries to figure out what's truly going on with the help of a mysterious young woman (Carla Gugino).

I've always been a fan of Brian De Palma and his films. His movies are never truly perfect masterpieces (then again, not much is), but this director can make anything seem interesting, even if only in a visual sense. With Snake Eyes, the accomplished director has created his most visually edgy and dazzling film to date, with camerawork that would stun even the most hardened De Palma fan. So much goes on here, to the point where it's exhilarating. The split-screens, first-person POVs, long-tracking shots (thus, the famous 12-minute non-stop opening), aerial views, etc. all make for an enthralling experience, all the more heightened if you're not familiar with De Palma's works.

I remember the previews and commercials to this film, and they gave the film the look of a terrific thriller with a dynamic script. It doesn't quite happen like that. There aren't particularly any plot twists (unless you count that whole "phantom punch" but that was given away in the previews) and the identity of the villain is laughably obvious. The worst thing is, the revelation behind the reasons for the shooting don't create much of a sense of paranoia, which was prevalent in another De Palma thriller, Blow Out. Here, the motive is just a standard-issue conspiracy theory. But the worst is saved for last: the ending, which is De Palma's most disappointing to date. I'd rather not say what happens, other than the fact that the weather gets a little too involved.

By this point, I seem to hold the film mostly in negative regard, but like I stated, the direction is breathtaking. In addition, the performances are often terrific. The standouts are, of course, Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinise. Cage creates an entertaining character in Rick Santoro, one who initially starts off as a wild maverick but settles down to a more calm and composed person. Sinise is equally superb as his best friend, Dunne. Though this film did put him in danger of typecasting, he did play an entirely different sort of character in Brian De Palma's most recent film, Mission to Mars. The supporting cast is solid, with Carla Gugino getting the most substantial screentime of the other performers. She's decent, but is given little to work with.

Obviously, Snake Eye's best moments are when De Palma gets to strut his stuff, and he does manage to put in some suspense, though not to the best of his abilities. I mean, this is the man who crafted the train station shootout in The Untouchables, the bullet train finale in Mission: Impossible, the chainsaw scene and the bloody finale of Scarface, and the spacewalk in Mission to Mars. Here, we get a chase as Cage's character and the villain are after Gugino without the other knowing there's actually a pursuit. It's a mildly clever sequence, but never seems quite as tense as it should be.

I suppose in terms of entertainment value, Snake Eyes does get the job done, but it feels too shallow and superficial to be wholly satisfying. Had the ending matched the previous material, this would have been grand entertainment. What we get is still often first-rate, but is also slightly disappointing.