Anthony Iessi Not all De Palma films are beloved. Snake Eyes is considered one of his weakest. The story is generic and the ending is a complete letdown. But the cinematography is so on point, it's really hard to dislike this film. It's a lot of fun, in fact. Nicholas Cage doesn't get better. Gary Sinise is superb. The opening shot is a steady cam, long take, reminiscent of the Copa scene in Goodfellas and the opening to Boogie Nights. It gets you right into Ricky's world, and immediately, you are hooked. De Palma knows how to get you invested in his characters. Overall, it's very surprising to me how much of a bad rep Snake Eyes has.

gridoon2018 "Snake Eyes" is one of Brian De Palma's most underrated (even forgotten) movies. Sort-of an update of "Blow Out" (the political assassination conspiracy, technology recording and revealing what the naked eye has missed, the overhead shots, the witness that must be silenced, etc.), but with stylistic elements from other De Palma films as well (long continuous shots, split screen, flashbacks of the same events from multiple perspectives, etc). In terms of how De Palma uses the camera to (mis)guide the viewer and tell the story, it's extraordinary; David Koepp's script is also like a well-orchestrated symphony, or a well-put-together puzzle, if you prefer. But there are two problems with "Snake Eyes", and they are pretty big: the first is that it's extremely obvious that Sinise's character is part of the conspiracy (his blunder with the redhead is so big that there could be no other explanation for it), and the second is that Nicolas Cage's character is an obnoxious sleazebag (and Cage's performance overdone). The film has to show him bruised, battered and beaten to make us root for him even a little near the very end. Gary Sinise, John Heard and Stan Shaw give much more effective performances, and both Carla Gugino and Jayne Heitmeyer are very hot. **1/2 out of 4.

Predrag Brian De Palma's "Snake Eyes" is about a fast-talking shady Atlantic City detective, Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage), who becomes involved with a murder conspiracy at a heavyweight boxing match in an Atlantic City casino while a hurricane hits. Gary Sinise plays Naval officer Commander Dunne, Santoro's best friend, and Carla Gugino plays a mysterious woman in white.De Palma employs some outstanding camera work; particularly the camera view replicating from the prize fighter's eyes that then turns into the mirror and you see the fighter, shadow boxing, and the scene in the upper hotel rooms where the camera looks down and glides over several adjacent rooms to show how people really behave behind closed doors. The rest of the movie doesn't quite live up to the grace of its opening, but it still has a nice elegant style going for it. The story/script is nothing amazing, but De Palma rescues it with his visual panache, and it remains one of Nicolas Cage's most over the top, entertaining performances. Also, Stan Shaw's performance is my favorite part in the film. There's some cool Brian De Palma shots and some references to "Vertigo" and other films, but the end kind of undercuts the good things.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Tweekums Protagonist Rick Santoro is a cop in Atlantic City; he is not a hero; he takes bribes and shakes down crooks rather than arrest them. His friend Commander Kevin Dunne is almost his opposite; an upstanding naval officer who is in town leading the security detail of the Defence Secretary. Dunne is keen for everything to go well as his boss watches a boxing match… unfortunately it doesn't while Dunne is investigating a suspicious redhead shots ring out and the Secretary goes down. A second shot clips the woman next to him and as she flees Santoro sees that her blonde hair was a wig. Dunne shoots the assassin but he knows he messed up however Santoro assures him he can spin it so he looks good.At first it looks like a single terrorist is behind the crime but the investigation quickly suggests otherwise; the shooter fired just after the favourite hit the canvas in what TV footages shows was a dive. We soon learn that he was approached by the redhead and another member of the crowd shouted his cue to dive… clearly there was a conspiracy. It looked as though this was going to be a mystery but forty minutes in we learn who the chief bad guy is at it isn't much longer before we learn the wounded girl was in fact a target as she was blowing the whistle on company giving falsified data to win a defence contract. The question is will Santoro save her and expose the corruption or will he live up to his reputation and take the easy option.This is a solid thriller; not a classic but worth watching on television or picking up if you see it in the bargain bin. The story gets off to a good start and sets up an interesting mystery… it is just a shame that the bad guy was exposed so soon; it would have been better if we'd learnt his identity at the same time as Santoro. The action is well handled even if things get a bit cliché towards the end. Nicolas Cage is delightfully over the top as Santoro and Gary Sinise is solid as his friend Dunne. Carla Gugino looks good as the female lead although her character is sadly underused. Overall an entertaining way to pass an hour and a half.