Cast: Nicholas Cage, Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino
Director: Brian DePalma
Previews: Return To Paradise, A Night At The Roxbury
Prelude to a review: This review contains spoilers. This means that some of the information contained here may ruin some, if not all of the movie for you, but is pertinent in my analysis of the film. You have been warned
Asking a movie critic to name his favorite movie is paramount, to me, to asking a chef his favorite food. It is hard to pick one, when there are so many types out there, and there are favorites in each one. Now, asking a favorite type is a different story. I like to watch all kinds of movies, but if I have a preference, I'd have to say that mystery/suspense would be the section of the video store that I'd wander towards first. So you can see my intrigue in Brian DePalma's Snake Eyes, a pseudo-mystery suspense thriller (or so the previews and buzz would make you think) from the man who knows how to make them (Blow-Out, Body Double, Dressed To Kill).When I go into movies like this, I cannot help but have a comparisons to my favorite movie from this genre 1995's The Usual Suspects, a masterpiece in intrigue, suspense and surprise. Unfortunately, it is unfair even to mention that movie, with this one, because the similarities begin, and end, with the genre.
The tagline for Snake Eyes say "Believe everything, except your eyes" or something like that. Well, I got news for the makers and marketers of this one. I didn't believe my eyes, my ears, or any other part of my body that was in the theater while this movie was on. I felt cheapened, cheated, used, and manipulated. This movie was nothing that it pretended or advertised to be. Let me elaborate a bit before I get off on a Dennis Miller-esque rant.
The story concerns an assassination at an Atlantic City boxing match during a hurricane. Nicholas Cage plays a detective who begins to find out that all may not be what it seems, and everyone has an angle, and a story. A potentially riveting whodunit, and whyfor. Now, my problem comes from the fact that, for a movie that professes mystery, intrigue and suspense...all is revealed, and known about 45-50 minutes into the movie. This leaves another half of the movie as a will-he find out in time, save the girl, fall in love, cat and mouse chase movie. Even that isn't very interesting to watch either. Because, in my eyes, you have to have an effectively suspenseful reason for all this to be occurring. You don't, and so you just sit in the theater and wait for the inevitable, hoping that there's another secret out there. You hope that he doesn't go the obvious, cop-out route. But alas, he does There are no red herrings, no mysterious people from the shadows, no shocking revelations left. All the cards are on the table, all the suspects and facts are in full light, all that is left, is the obvious. When will the bad guy catch the good guy, and how long before the obvious hero, heroine rescue and kiss.
It saddens me to see a premise wasted like this, The idea was good, I was intrigued about the story, and with DePalma at the helm, I was hooked. Giving credit where credit is due, DePalma makes a nice looking movie, he can use the camera to create tension with the best of them, using flashbacks, and split screens to tell the same story from various perspectives. I loved the manic non-stop action of the opening sequence, and, the "over-the-wall" cam, used to go above hotel rooms as if the camera was sliding on the roof, oblivious of walls. I have no problem with how this movie was made, and how it looks The problem is, he simply runs out of story and gives up.. The performances? Gary Sinise is good, as usual, but that's it. Cage seems to have found the sleazy stereotype cop handbook, and lives every chapter. Even normally reliable supporting characters such as Anthony Heard (as a powerful tycoon) and Stan Shaw (as the boxer), fall flat, once the rabbit is out of the hat. Also, can someone tell me what purpose that hurricane held? A big deal was made in the pre-release info, yet it only seemed to me to exist as a backdrop. I felt no sense of urgency, or panic amongst the people (there were people just mingling around the casino, cavorting in hotel rooms, yet, a storm is about to wipe them out??) I'm confused.
Like I've said, I know that DePalma knows how to make this movie, however here, he played it like that hyper kid with a secret who just cannot wait to tell someone. Finally, he ends up just blurting it all out, and ruining his leverage. DePalma had a good idea, I liked where the plot went, I just wish it would've built up some suspense getting there, and had an ending that didn't look like he just threw up his hands and said "How about this?" This movie just doesn't miss the boat, it misses the whole ocean. Wait for cable, or even a TV-movie of the week for this one. On a ratings scale Snake Eyes, doesn't even score that..($1/2)
Go To
Reel Rambling Page
Go To Main Page