xieludsl
Cage usually finds a way to ruin his movie's character. Blame on script writers but where does the sane thinking mind enter? Movies in general are predictable. This movie is half-baked entertainment where it always poses the odds of the viewer in his rational mind opposed to what comes off by bad script writing--the viewer knows what, at least, he/she would not say, would not do. Another pablum movie to watch when all else fails. Cage, like Harrison Ford, are famous for their staring. They freeze. We hit the clicker to save ourselves. These two actors should pass on bad scripts and instead leave the bad movies to half-baked Millennials who wouldnt know the difference between good and bad script writing. The Mill's think anything they do is great!
AudioFileZ
If you're like me you want to like Snake Eyes. Nicholas Cage and Brian DePalma make for that possibility. I mean Cage needs a good role and DePalma whose talent hasn't exactly been up to it's early level should be ready for another hit. Snake Eyes isn't going to be that hit. This movie moves and I mean moves. It's a frantic start with Cage showing some chutzpah with what he's painting. The venue is perfect for DePalma as it's maximum humidity and torrential rain in Atlantic City. With a rigged fight as the backdrop for a complex crime none of the potential is wasted early on. The cinematography is like another character in it's intensity and power. Things soon start unraveling though. The story is way too much of a stretch playing out with a cast of unlikely characters in a way too public place. Gary Sinease is slumming here and it feels wrong. Cage continues to do his schtick better than the movie actually gives him legs to do. It becomes ridiculous way too fast and deep.This is the type of movie I tend to keep watching to see if my early investment might be redeemed. In this case it's a waste though since it just keeps sinking under the mess it's created for itself with the lame story.
Murtaza Ali
While Nicolas Cage is brilliant as ever in Snake Eyes, it is not him but Brian de Palma who is the real star of the show. No filmmaker, I daresay, can make the camera dance like de Palma. The camera maneuvering that he employs here is just breathtaking to watch. The opening tracking shot is quite easily the movie's highlight. The 20 minute Steadicam sequence may have a couple of hidden cuts but de Palma certainly succeeds in evoking the great Max Ophüls. Then there are other sequences which such innovative camera positioning and angles that one is instantly reminded of the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Alas, despite its early promise, Snake Eyes fails to sustain the suspense! The movie falls flat in final act with de Palma failing to orchestrate a fitting closure. That said, Snake Eyes offers more than most modern-day thrillers. If de Palma's camera play is not a good enough reason for you to watch a film then you may watch it for Nicolas Cage, who, like was the norm in the 90s, delivers yet another thoroughly engaging performance. Cage's dialog delivery is seldom better than what we get to savor during the opening tracking sequence. Cage is well supported by Gary Sinise and Carla Gugino. Cage and de Palma succeed in creating magic... it's a different matter they are not able to sustain it till the end.For more on the world of cinema, please visit my film blog "A Potpourri of Vestiges".
SnoopyStyle
Ricky Santoro (Nicolas Cage) is a wild corrupt Atlantic City cop. It's the night of a big fight and a hurricane is coming. His best friend Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise) is escorting Defense Secretary Charles Kirkland and arena owner Gilbert Powell (John Heard). Redhead Serena leaves the seat beside Santoro and the mysterious Julia Costello (Carla Gugino) with a blonde wig sits down. She starts arguing with Kirkland. Dunne follows Serena breaking protocol. A sniper kills Kirkland and injures Costello. Chaos ensues. Santoro grabs the investigation trying to find Costello. Dunne had killed the assassin. Santoro finds that the champ Lincoln Tyler had taken a dive as part of a conspiracy.Nicolas Cage's wild acting is really distracting from a possibly interesting mystery thriller. At least, he gets out of that crazy jacket but his crazy acting never stops. Director Brian De Palma sets up a good looking conspiracy but then reveals it almost right away. The audience is not given much to work out after that. De Palma is doing some interesting camera work but the tension is not there. The conspiracy is not engaging and the ending falls flat.
AD
