Snake Eyes (1998)

Calificación de los usuarios:

5.8/10   

Director:

Brian De Palma

Escritores (WGA):

Brian De Palma (story) &
David Koepp (story) ...

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

7 agosto 1998 (USA)

Género:

Crimen | Misterio | Suspenso

Frase comercial:

Believe Everything Except Your Eyes

Plot:

A shady police detective finds himself in the middle of a murder conspiracy at an important boxing match in an Atlantic City casino.

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Conspiracy | Assassination | Casino | Murder

Premios:

1 win & 2 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

One of De Palma's best films – a thrilling, intelligent political thriller

Reparto

Nicolas Cage	...	Rick Santoro
Gary Sinise	...	Commander Kevin Dunne
John Heard	...	Gilbert Powell
Carla Gugino	...	Julia Costello
Stan Shaw	...	Lincoln Tyler
Kevin Dunn	...	Lou Logan
Michael Rispoli	...	Jimmy George
Joel Fabiani	...	Charles Kirkland
Luis Guzmán	...	Cyrus (as Luis Guzman)
David Anthony Higgins	...	Ned Campbell
Mike Starr	...	Walt McGahn
Tamara Tunie	...	Anthea
Chip Zien	...	Mickey Alter
Michaella Bassey	...	Tyler's Party Girl #2
Paul Joseph Bernardo	...	Casino Security #1

También conocida como:

Ojos de serpiente (Argentina) (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence.

Duración:

98 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Color

Relación de Aspecto:

2.35 : 1

Sonido:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Clasificación:

Philippines:PG-13 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) (cut) | Singapore:PG (original rating) (cut) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14A | Canada:G (Quebec)

Locaciones de Filmación:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Compañía:

DeBart

Trivialidades:

The ringside drunk says, "Here come comes the pain," a line also spoken in another Brian De Palma film, Carlito's Way (1993).

Errores:

Sin sincronía de Audio o Visual: After Richard is beat up by Tyler, Commander Dunne starts telling Richard about what it will be like if he doesn't go along with his plans. He says, "your life will fall the hell apart," when his lips clearly say "your life will fall the fuck apart."

Citas:

Rick: This is fight night and I am the king.

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in 22 (2000) (V)

Banda de Sonido:

Come On

One of De Palma's best films – a thrilling, intelligent political thriller

Snake Eyes is a movie that I believe is unfairly maligned. It is not a movie which advertises grandiose, innovation or brilliance as such, but simply a movie which delivers high doses of action, thrills and suspense. The film does just that, and more: it is noticeably intelligent, is masterfully crafted and is absolutely enthralling from start to finish. With Snake Eyes, veteran director Brian De Palma directs a slick, taut and superb political thriller, and also crafts one of his finest films, up there with the ranks of, say, The Untouchables or Scarface.

That's a bold statement considering the volatility and instability of De Palma's career. He's the modern day epitome of a hit-and-miss director, with the 'misses' unfortunately having somewhat of an edge over the 'hits'. On the days where De Palma manages to have everything in its right place, and subsequently makes one of the 'hits' of his filmography, then it's a glorious moment indeed. When he's at the top of his game, Mr. De Palma is indeed is a fine example of a great, experienced director. Snake Eyes is a prime illustration of the director at the top of his game, and is a glorious movie.

Perhaps glorious may not be the best word to describe the movie. After all, it isn't an epic of any sort, nothing along the lines of Michael Mann's 160 minute crime saga Heat. It's a modest movie, clocking it at just under 90 minutes in fact; however, embroiled and found in this relatively short amount of time are dozens of scenes which we simply soak up for their technical brilliance. On top of that, the short but sweet story is simply captivating, riveting and gripping from start to finish. Indeed, everything seems to be in its right place here, and that's why Snake Eyes is such a success.

From the very first moments of the film, we're hooked, line and sinker. The reason for our immediate engrossment comes, surprisingly not from the story of the movie, but from the craftsmanship of this opening scene. De Palma crafts one of the most memorable takes in film history here, as he constructs a gargantuan 13 minute tracking shot starting from the first scene of the film and ending from when the film starts to become the action thriller it advertises itself to be. The subject on whether this cinematic feat is authentic or simply just two to three shots cleverly edited to appear as one quietly rages to this day; however, whether the tracking shot is real or not is irrelevant, as it looks authentic enough that we just become swept away by Snake Eyes.

Also capturing our attention during these initial moments is the star of the film, Nicholas Cage. Dare I say, but in Snake Eyes he puts on one of, if not the best performance of his career. Cage plays rebellious and hard-edged Atlantic City cop Rick Santoro, who is the focus of the film from the very start. The epic tracking shot follows Santoro for the entire duration, and it's in this time where his character is swiftly and cleverly established. It's also during this time that Cage gets to show off his dazzling acting ability as he effortlessly slips into Santoro's shoes and becomes his persona. His performance would only last for the entire movie, and would only make Snake Eyes all the more fantastic.

The movie is a political thriller, and although Snake Eyes is not set in The Pentagon or The White House – instead, it's set in a fictitious, sleazy-looking Atlantic City casino joint – it's still as effective as ever, and is a powerhouse film of its genre. The story basically goes as follows: said sleazy casino joint is host to one of the major boxing matches of the season – the decade perhaps, judging by the mammoth crowd turnout – and one of the prominent guests attending just so happens to be the US Secretary of Defence, who claims to be a 'fan of fights'. So happens that this hobby of his turns out to be deadly, as he is assassinated by a terrorist fanatic.

Santoro is less than a metre away from the Defence Secretary when he is happened, and so he is a direct witness to the shooting; his proximity only allows him to notice some of the details missed by the lead investigators of the crime, and in turn discover that the assassination was in fact a conspiracy with devastating ramifications. The plot sounds clichéd and done to death, but in Snake Eyes it's as original, clever and intricate as ever. Gary Sinise is also in top form here as he plays Commander Kevin Dunne of the United States Army, a figure who adds much more depth and intrigue to the already-fascinating plot.

Although much praise is to be awarded to both Cage and Sinise, both for their brilliant acting and their dazzling chemistry, the driving force behind Snake Eye's success is Brian De Palma himself; it is he whom we should be applauding the most, as his work on this film is absolutely marvellous. The film is indeed patchy in some parts – in particular the film's climatic scene, which despite being thrilling retains a rather 'deus ex machina-esquire' atmosphere – but luckily the film is in the right hands, and as a result is a smashing success.

What brilliant direction from De Palma, whose work in Snake Eyes has garnered even more respect for the man himself. What a gripping story, which at the same time is so meticulous, intricate and well-written. What a stupendous cast – Cage and Sinise, as mentioned earlier, add vibrancy to the movie in unrelenting doses. What a fantastic movie.

8.5/10