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Snake Eyes

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Gary Sinise
Director: Brian De Palma
Genre: Thriller
Year: 1998
Rating: 2 / 5

Nicholas Cage has rocketed from relative obscurity to international stardome in the last five years, and it seems that almost everything he touches turns to gold. The Rock, Con Air, Face/Off. That all changes with Snake Eyes, the latest effort from director Brian De Palma and one of the most disappointing movies in recent years. Cage tries mightily, yet he cannot overcome predictable story lines, cardboard characters, and an entirely anti-climactic conclusion.

Rick Santuro (Cage) is a corrupt Atlantic City cop, taking bribes and kickbacks from just about every piece of sleaze along the seaboard. He is brought to heavyweight champion Lincoln Tyler's title defense by long-time friend Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise), a straight-laced military officer, who wants his friend Rick to help him handle security for this event. Why the military involvement? It seems that the Secretary of Defense is to be in attendance, and Dunne wants to make sure everything runs smoothly. Enter the Secretary, flanked by public financier Gilbert Powell, who has just finished some potentially lucrative tests of a new missile, manufactured by Powell's company.

As the fight is starting, De Palma allows us to follow the glittering Santuro around the arena, utilizing a multitude of angles and some stellar moving photography. The viewer actually begins to feel like he is bouncing around Atlantic City at Santuro's side. Unfortunately, this serves only as window dressing, as the film's problems begin with the fight's first punch. Seated in the front row with Santuro, Dunne notes a suspicious woman across the floor, and he procedes to investigate. While he is on the other side of the arena, a mysterious, young woman sits next to Santuro and whispers something to the Secretary. Before she can finish, two shots ring out, leaving the Secretary mortally wounded. Chaos ensues, forcing Santuro and Dunne to sort through the mess, all the while maintaining some semblance of order at the packed venue.

From this point on, we relive the moments immediately before and after the fight through the eyes of various witnesses, most notably, Lincoln Tyler, Dunne, and the mysterious woman (Carla Gugino, Spin City). While this serves as an interesting technique, it is far from original. The largest problems in the movie, however, spiral from here. Santuro assumes command of the investigation, not willing to see his good friend Dunne thrown to the wolves for being out of position. Sifting through dozens of camera angles, Santuro has a surprisingly easy time uncovering the particulars of the conspiracy, many of the details of which are devulged in promotions for the film.

The greatest disappointment of all, however, might have to be the end. There is no grand scene involving here and villain. There is an unnecessary epilogue to the film, attempting to tie up some loose ends, while at the same time seeking to ground the movie more in reality. When it all comes down to it, Snake Eyes fails to realize its considerable potential, and the viewer is left wanting more. As Kevin Dunne tells us midway through the movie, we have rolled snake eyes, and the house most definitely wins.

Certification: R for violence and language.
Running Time: 98 minutes.

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