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Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, John Heard, Carla Gugino, Stan Shaw ... see more see more... , Kevin Dunn , Michael Rispoli , Joel Fabiani , Luis Guzman , David Anthony Higgins , Mike Starr , Tamara Tunie , Chip Zien , Jernard Burks

Brian DePalma directed this taut thriller, set in Atlantic City, where a corrupt cop investigates a political assassination. Outside an Atlantic City arena-hotel-casino, a TV news reporter stands in a... read more read more... pre-hurricane storm to report on the heavyweight boxing match about to begin inside. A transition to the stadium interior focuses on Atlantic City homicide Detective Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage), a father with a wife and son, yet also a dishonest cop who maintains a mistress and cheerfully accepts bribes. DePalma's Steadicam follows Santoro on a fast-paced tour of the stadium as the laughing, yelling detective travels stairs and hallways, talks to a gal with a between-rounds placard, visits the dressing room of champ Lincoln Tyler (Stan Shaw), rides down an escalator to squeeze money from a small-time hood, enters the arena of 14,000 fight fans, talks on his phone with his girlfriend and wife, and sits ringside next to his lifelong buddy, Navy Cmdr. Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise). Behind Dunne, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Charles Kirkland (Joel Fabiani) is seated alongside billionaire casino owner Gilbert Powell (John Heard). As the fight gets underway, Dunne abandons his position protecting the defense chief to pursue a suspicious redhead. From his ringside vantage point, Santoro has a close view of the champ, curiously conscious despite taking a kayo punch. At that moment, an assassin fires at Kirkland. Santoro immediately concocts a good cover story for his pal (to explain why Dunne left his post protecting Kirkland). Just after the shooting, Dunne kills a Palestinian extremist, the apparent killer, and Santoro orders the stadium doors locked, hoping he can locate other suspects among the fleeing crowd. One such is Julia Costello (Carla Gugino), an injured woman in a blond wig who spoke with Kirkland seconds before the gunfire. After a video replay reveals the champ took a fall, going down to the floor from a punch that never touched him, Santoro becomes more curious and suspicious, comparing witness accounts, and he attempts to locate Julia, convinced she's the key to truth behind the assassination. As it all comes to a head, Santoro peels through successive layers of corruption, ultimately confronting himself in a self-examination of his own values. Filmed at Montreal's old Forum. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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39% liked it

60,510 ratings

Critics

40% liked it

65 critics

R, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Brian DePalma

Release Date: August 7, 1998

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DVD Release Date: February 16, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (1,457)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    November 3, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Brian DePalma's Snake Eyes is a pretty bad thriller. The concept of Snake Eyes was great, and I quite enjoyed the idea, however the execution of the plot isn't poor, and Brian DePalma, who usually directs good films, is pretty sloppy this time around. Snake Eyes could have been s... read moreomething great, but instead it's an awful film that simply doesn't cut it. I felt that the writing was sloppy and the film was one of those films that didn't know what to do with an elaborate concept. This is exactly the problem with Snake Eyes, the filmmakers don't know how to effectively develop the films plot to truly be something that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Snake Eyes conclusion leaves a lot to be desired and is frankly disappointing. The film could have been good, but it never delivers anything spectacular. Nicholas Cage overacts his part, and it becomes laughable. Snake Eyes may have had a good idea for its plot, but Brian DePalma and the cast really don't know how to make it work so that it is effectively entertaining for the viewer. After watching Snake Eyes, I was really thrilled overall, and was very disappointed. I've seen quite a few DePalma films, and he's a good director, but Snake Eyes is one of his worst films. DePalma does his best to try and conceive an effective thriller, unfortunately his efforts are wasted, and Snake Eyes ends up being a bad film that is quite frankly a waste of time. This film could have been much better, but instead it doesn't do anything to thrill the viewer. Usually a thriller sucks you in by the first frame, and leaves you hooked, Snake Eyes does the opposite, it sucks you in, but doesn't do anything great to capture your imagination, and thus it's quite a lame thriller.
  • FilmFanatik
    September 29, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    When it comes to thrillers, Brian De Palma's name always comes to the top of my list as one of the living masters. In his polical conspiracy thriller Snake Eyes, we have an extremely effective film that is very much in the De Palma style with the long uncut sequences and split-sc... read morereen scenes while also carrying what is perhaps Nicolas Cage's finest performance outside of Raising Arizona. Of course this sort of film gets made a lot and they all come a dime a dozen these days but with De Palma behind this one it all just fits perfectly and works. The only thing that bothers me is the pseudo-happy ending, which I won't spoil. I'm a huge fan of De Palma as he's one of my favorite directors and this film is just another in a long line of great pieces of cinema from the master. Riveting and entertaining with his style written all over it, you can't go wrong.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    September 14, 2011
    cancercapricorn2002
    In Snake Eyes, De Palma has made a film that is deeply immersing and one that makes sure you're giving it your unrelenting attention (at least until the last twenty minutes) that isn't on a really grand scale like in Mission: Impossible. Snake Eyes is a relatively straight forwar... read mored mystery, detective film; much like Mission: Impossible yet unlike that film, it is compelling and interesting with characters we spend enough time with to grow to like and despise; with characters who drift in and out of the story and with camera work, setting and trickery more akin to a sports car commercial.

    One reason Snake Eyes is a good film is that it takes place in a rather extravagant setting, has a narrative that starts off as nothing and that escalates as the film progresses and combines good pacing and scripting throughout. This is sort of the film Mission: Impossible wanted to be but that was all over the world with characters who you thought were dead but showed up later anyway and a film that was nice to look at but there was too much going on - Snake Eyes is based in one location, a location that starts off as a utopia for gambling, sports fans and people looking for a break. There is color, energy, bright lights from the gambling machines and enough product placement to suggest you are definitely in the Western world attempting to go from rags to the American dream in a second through one-arm bandits.

    De Palma prides himself on his camera work and split screen effect. Sometimes it hits, sometimes it misses but in Snake Eyes it hits dead centre. The opening take (which actually contains a few cuts) is fun as well as effective but very immersing - putting you in the film. Also, the way multiple points of view are integrated into the film as different people's stories are being told is reminiscent of characters floating in and out of a multi stranded, non-linear graphic novel. Apart from the visual pleasantries most good films made in the post classical Hollywood era have; the film's story does hold up, albeit weak. There is something about government weapons and how one person's disagreement can lead to betrayal within the armed forces resulting in a lot of pain, death and panic in an instant - that instant just happens to be at a big money boxing match.

    The film and its narrative move along at a good pace - twists are revealed when necessary and even when they are, twists in the form of further betrayal within that antagonistic group are very entertaining. My particular favorite scene or sequence involves a girl who everyone is looking for: the protagonist police man because she's a witness and the antagonist backstabber because she knows who really did it; needless to say, the whole fifteen minute sequence revolving around her trying to escape them by posing as a loose girl just to get to the safe haven of a hotel suite is brilliant to watch as each side hunt her, she desperately tries to get to the room and the chief of security watches everyone's every move through CCTV.

    Like I said in the opening paragraph: 'everything's good until the last twenty minutes' certainly comes into play in Snake Eyes. I read that the ending was changed but some scenes such as Cage's 'I thought I was going to drown in there' had me wondering what the ell he was on about but further reading says the first ending involved a tidal wave (all is suddenly clear); also, the whole following of Cage's character to the desired place by the bad guy followed by the way he is defeated from a winning position (thanks to the weather and his own stupidity) was disappointing. It's not all bad; at one point Cage must contemplate siding with the bad guy and as he does so, stares down at a blood soaked dollar note after being offered a price to stay quiet in return for actual bloodshed which was a nice piece of iconography. I have to recommend Snake Eyes for its great visuals, fun yet entertaining plot and for its all round noir/crime-feel.
  • kenstachnik
    July 3, 2011
    kenstachnik
    Decent movie, great cinematography.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 15, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    strange but good
  • ythelastman89
    March 30, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Only Nicolas Cage would have a golden cell phone and wear a yellow flowered shirt as the eccentric dirty cop, Rick Santoro. Nothing screams “Crazy Nic Cage” like this, it is by far his most deranged performance. The actual movie itself is surprisingly good, it’s Brian De Pa... read morelma going back to his roots and presenting a very fun and exciting thriller. I loved the return of the split screen and glossy tint to the film, it puts you back to his 70s and 80s projects. I think what sets this above most others like it is the way it is shot, which is amazingly original. It has a lot of homages to classics like Rashamon and The Killing, but also having it’s own spin.
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    Brian De Palma certainly rolls a pair of snake eyes on this one!
  • Chiefilms
    September 3, 2009
    Chiefilms
    Has some cool shots and tries to be innovative but the plot has some holes and the script could be better. Pretty standard Cage and Sinise performances which are enjoyable.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    April 29, 2009
    FiLmCrAzY
    i thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and you dont see some of the twists coming its action and comedy and really entertaining and really worth a wat5ch!
  • thmtsang
    December 20, 2008
    thmtsang
    Good cast and plot. A detective witnesses a murder at a boxing match and they have to find the murderer amongst the crowds. I was in Atlantic City when they were filming the fight scenes.

View All Snake Eyes Reviews

Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy
September 18, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety

Wispy threads of dramatic plausibility and character involvement unravel completely by the time of the incredibly silly final reel. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 27, 2007
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Never loses its bearings as it hovers between preposterous paranoia and a Billy-Wilder-like moral fable about a deeply flawed hero who draws a line in the sand beyond which he cannot go. Full Review

Rick Groen
July 12, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Director Brian De Palma does his stylish best to weave the patchy script into a cinematic quilt, but despite his best efforts -- and they're often formidable -- the thing just doesn't cohere. Full Review

Bob Graham
June 18, 2002
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

What might have been fascinating after a while becomes frustrating and, finally, a real slog. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Although De Palma doesn't always stick rigorously to each separate viewpoint, there's an undeniable finesse in the way he parcels out the exposition in increments... Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
January 1, 2000
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

You're never asked to invest much in the characters, and by the time you've roused yourself to care, it's too late. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's the worst kind of bad film: the kind that gets you all worked up and then lets you down, instead of just being lousy from the first shot. Full Review

Stephen Holden
January 1, 2000
Stephen Holden, New York Times

[De Palma's] most flamboyant fantasy of high-flying conspiracy and corruption since Blow Out. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

De Palma doesn't know the meaning of the word "subtle" -- every scene in Snake Eyes uses a brash, in-your-face approach that works until the disappointing climax. Full Review

Paul Tatara
January 1, 2000
Paul Tatara, CNN.com

The last five to 10 minutes are completely stupid and add nothing to the film. Full Review

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