Fans of Cage and De Palma should definitely add Snake Eyes to their watchlist but with lowered expectations.
The combination of Nicolas Cage, who is well-known for his unbridled acting style, and director Brian De Palma, who is well-known for his Hitchcockian stylings, sounds like a great mix. 1998’s Snake Eyes, written by prolific screenwriter David Koepp from a story by De Palma, provides opportunities for both men to show off their respective talents. Unfortunately, the final result disappoints due to an unsatisfying third act.
Cage stars as Rick Santoro, an Atlantic City cop with a lifestyle much larger than his paycheck could provide. Santoro meets his childhood best friend, Commander Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise,) at a heavyweight championship fight. Dunn is providing security for Charles Kirkland, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, who is attending the event.
Soon, the events in the boxing ring are overshadowed by the assassination of Kirkland. As 14,000 people are detained as potential witnesses, Santoro takes charge of the investigation. What he discovers as he pieces together the crime provides some surprises.
Cage is on fire as he wildly interacts with attendees at the boxing match. As the film reveals the assassination from the perspective of different characters, I found myself really wanting to find out how things came to happen. Sadly, though, the writing swerves into one of those James Bond-type endings where the bad guy has to reveal his plans in expository dialogue. The old adage “show, don’t tell” doesn’t apply to Snake Eyes. At least not for the third act.
There are some genuinely solid sequences that highlight De Palma’s undeniable visual skill. The film starts quite well with a dazzling 13 minute long single-take tracking shot that sets the scene perfectly. A later pursuit through a casino and hotel, combining surveillance camera footage and unique set design, is also a stunner.
Cage’s performance exemplifies what makes him a dynamic screen presence. Sadly, though, Cage’s efforts can’t propel this film to success. Even with solid support from Carla Gugino and Stan Shaw, whose characters each play a vital role in the overall scheme, the lackluster ending takes the entire movie down with it.
Fans of Cage and De Palma should definitely add Snake Eyes to their watchlist but with lowered expectations. Everyone else should just save themselves an hour and a half. Both deserve better.
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
