Snake Eyes
3/4
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino
Rated R for Some Violence
"Snake Eyes" is an exercise in style; the plot is almost beside the point. Although the film centers on Nicolas Cage, the movie's real star is director Brian DePalma. This is a visually dazzling thriller that toys with our perceptions.
Rick Santoro (played by Cage, and not to be confused with the nutso presidential hopeful) is a corrupt cop in Atlantic City. He knows everyone and, more importantly, will do anything for a price. He's attending a boxing match in Atlantic City with his best friend, Department of Defense Commander Kevin Dunne (Sinise, and ironically, there's an actor who has a meaty supporting role whose name is in fact, Kevin Dunn). All the sudden, there are gunshots, and the Secretary of Defense, who is sitting right behind them, is shot. Rick and Kevin are on the case, and it turns out that this isn't the work of a terrorist, but a deadly conspiracy.
After a brief news segment, the film goes into its best scene: it's a 12 minute sequence that seems like (but in fact isn't) an unbroken take. It's a truly amazing sequence of film, not only for its technical skill, but DePalma's ability to utilize it effectively for suspense. Often times when a director does something creative, that's it. It's just a creative thing, like he's telling everyone how good he is. Not DePalma. He allows us to catch subtle movements from various characters that raise our suspicions. The suspense builds with the skill of someone who knows what he's doing.
The performances are effective. Nicolas Cage turns on the colorful and expressive (something that he's known for) when he creates Santorum...excuse me, Santoro. Santorum...damn! Santoro is the kind of guy who has friends in all the right places, but circumstances force him to question whether or not they're actually his friends. Gary Sinise is terrific as the gruff but good natured officer. He carries himself in the right way and his performance is one of control, which gives him good chemistry with Cage's more extravagant Santorum...sorry Santoro (gotta stop doing that! They're just too similar!).
The problem with the film is the ending. It's not what happens or how it's handled (DePalma and his stars do the best that they can), but in how it is written. For one thing, everything is revealed far too early; there's still a half hour left when everyone knows all. Second, the script takes a safe cliched route when it should be more honest, and it's littered with contrivances. The film ends on a nice semi-dark note, but the third act is a clunker.
Still, I think that the film is worth seeing. It's like an Agatha Christie type puzzle filmed with plenty of style (in addition to the opening sequence, there are inventive point-of-view shots and a split screen sequence that are really cool. The plot is engaging and Nicolas Cage is cool as always. It's a good way to spend 98 minutes.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino
Rated R for Some Violence
"Snake Eyes" is an exercise in style; the plot is almost beside the point. Although the film centers on Nicolas Cage, the movie's real star is director Brian DePalma. This is a visually dazzling thriller that toys with our perceptions.
Rick Santoro (played by Cage, and not to be confused with the nutso presidential hopeful) is a corrupt cop in Atlantic City. He knows everyone and, more importantly, will do anything for a price. He's attending a boxing match in Atlantic City with his best friend, Department of Defense Commander Kevin Dunne (Sinise, and ironically, there's an actor who has a meaty supporting role whose name is in fact, Kevin Dunn). All the sudden, there are gunshots, and the Secretary of Defense, who is sitting right behind them, is shot. Rick and Kevin are on the case, and it turns out that this isn't the work of a terrorist, but a deadly conspiracy.
After a brief news segment, the film goes into its best scene: it's a 12 minute sequence that seems like (but in fact isn't) an unbroken take. It's a truly amazing sequence of film, not only for its technical skill, but DePalma's ability to utilize it effectively for suspense. Often times when a director does something creative, that's it. It's just a creative thing, like he's telling everyone how good he is. Not DePalma. He allows us to catch subtle movements from various characters that raise our suspicions. The suspense builds with the skill of someone who knows what he's doing.
The performances are effective. Nicolas Cage turns on the colorful and expressive (something that he's known for) when he creates Santorum...excuse me, Santoro. Santorum...damn! Santoro is the kind of guy who has friends in all the right places, but circumstances force him to question whether or not they're actually his friends. Gary Sinise is terrific as the gruff but good natured officer. He carries himself in the right way and his performance is one of control, which gives him good chemistry with Cage's more extravagant Santorum...sorry Santoro (gotta stop doing that! They're just too similar!).
The problem with the film is the ending. It's not what happens or how it's handled (DePalma and his stars do the best that they can), but in how it is written. For one thing, everything is revealed far too early; there's still a half hour left when everyone knows all. Second, the script takes a safe cliched route when it should be more honest, and it's littered with contrivances. The film ends on a nice semi-dark note, but the third act is a clunker.
Still, I think that the film is worth seeing. It's like an Agatha Christie type puzzle filmed with plenty of style (in addition to the opening sequence, there are inventive point-of-view shots and a split screen sequence that are really cool. The plot is engaging and Nicolas Cage is cool as always. It's a good way to spend 98 minutes.
Comments
Post a Comment