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SNAKE EYES

**1/2

Review by Marty Mapes

published August 31, 1998

The opening shot of Snake Eyes is great. It lasts for about ten minutes,
uninterrupted. Its geographic range is increased by the careful use of video
monitors receiving signals from elsewhere.

The technical skill required to pull off the long shot at the beginning is
formidable. Such a carefully planned and executed shot leads one to expect the
same from the script. At first the script is tight and twisty, but its
resolution is a mediocre anticlimax.


MOVIE CREDITS

DIRECTOR

 * Brian De Palma


MOVIE FACTS

YEAR RELEASED

1998


SEE ALSO

Rope, 1948, Alfred Hitchcock. This film is unsurpassed when it comes to long
takes with elaborate camera choreography.


DID YOU NOTICE?

If you stay through the credits, another piece of the story is revealed... sort
of.

Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage) is a crooked Atlantic City cop, “covering security”
at one of the biggest boxing events of the year. In the big introductory shot,
he freely takes money in exchange for favors and schmoozes with the powerful,
rich, and sleazy elements of the city.

The only unusual thing about security at this match is that the Secretary of
Defense is attending. Escorting the Secretary is Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise), an
old friend of Nick’s. The fight moves on, and at the knockout punch, a shot is
heard. The Secretary has been hit. Another shot rings out, a woman in a wig is
hit as Nick throws her to the ground.

Before the cops arrive, Dunne breaks down in front of Nick. He failed in his
assignment to protect the Secretary and is worried for his job and his family.
Nick suggests they get their stories straight before any investigators show up.

Eventually Nick and Dunne split apart to investigate the crime, starting with
the mystery woman. Given enough time alone, Nick starts to piece together the
mystery.

The setup and investigation are interesting and well-told. De Palma uses
flashbacks to tell the same story from different points of view. With each
flashback, another piece of the story falls into place. This part of the film is
very good.

Then it becomes clear what happened, or at least who is responsible. At this
point, the movie stops being so interesting. Instead of tantalizing clues and a
clever villain, we have slow chase scenes and a conventional killer. The
resolution of the film is anticlimactic, a ho-hum mix of guns and lucky timing.

The film fails in other areas too.

In order to allow for De Palma’s elaborate camera movement, there needs to be
lots of light, which means it can’t be controlled as tightly. As the movie’s
tone darkens, the lighting seems to get brighter and more even. In Jackie Brown,
the bright lights and solid colors seemed to be an ironic twist, but in this
movie, it seems like a cost-cutting compromise.

Also, Sinise was the wrong choice for Commander Dunne. He never really filled
his uniform with the qualities demanded by the role. Granted, it was a hard role
to fill, with lots of acting-within-acting going on. But Sinise just never had
me convinced of anything.

Cage, on the other hand, was very good. He’s a crooked cop, taking money
wherever he can find it. As long as he’s getting his share, his morality
threshold is low. The perfect example of his idea of ethics is brought out when
a whistleblower comes forward and asks for his protection. This cop’s first
reaction is not to help her, but to verbally abuse her for breaking her boss’
trust, for violating the code of the good-ol’-boy network, for expecting the
world to play by the rules. But there is a glimmer of morality left in him and
by the end, his faith in the network is really put to the test (in one of the
movie’s more clever developments).

Two minor characters turned in great performances too. In the ring, the boxer
had such a look of humility and fear that one couldn’t help but feel sorry for
him, even as he beat his opponent senseless. And Carla Gugino, a relative
newcomer, held her own on the screen with Cage and Sinise.

De Palma’s last film was Mission Impossible, a great movie, well-written and
tightly executed. Snake Eyes has similar aspirations, but it doesn’t come close.

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