Snake Eyes

Director: Brian De Palma
Cast:
Nicolas Cage
Gary Sinise
Kevin Dunn
Carla Gugino
Luis Guzman

I have to start this one out using a metaphor—I'm a huge Beatles fan, and have been since I was about eight years old. This has twisted my sensibilities into a distinctly "twee British pop" direction, which has made me a hit or a pariah on long road trips, depending on your desire to RAWK.

I mention this only because I also like other bands that sound Beatle-esque, even if they don't do it half as well. The fact that their hearts are in the right place is enough for me, and I'll always give them the benefit of the doubt.

I could say much the same for Brian De Palma; he is, and always has been, the modern day Hitchcock, even if he is half the director that Alfred was. But since Hitchcock is my Beatles for film, I know that De Palma will have my best interests in mind whenever he starts a project. It's just too bad he's always snatching mediocrity from the jaws of brilliance. Every one of De Palma's movies has one scene that is worth the price of admission. In "The Untouchables," it was the section shot in the train station with the baby carriage falling down the stairs. In "Mission Impossible" it was the scene shot in silence as Tom Cruise hung by a rope over the CIA's mainframe computer. In "Snake Eyes," it's the entire first sequence, a tracking shot lasting about ten minutes, deftly choreographed and taut as a tightrope.

Nicolas Cage plays Rick Santoro, a self-admittedly corrupt yet lovable Atlantic City cop who is at the town's biggest boxing match with his old navy pal Kevin (Gary Sinise). While the fight ensues, the Secretary of Defense is assassinated, and it's up to Cage to find the culprit. Like in "Blow Out," De Palma uses a variety of technological goodies to unravel the mystery (here, it's the millions of cameras placed in and around the casino) and when Cage is hunting, the movie turns to some pretty delicious eye candy.

But there's a delicate balance between a "mystery" (when you don't know who dunnit) and a "thriller" (when you know who dunnit and can't wait to see them take a bullet in the head)...and De Palma gives away the goods far too early. Thank God Nicolas Cage is so much fun and costar Carla Gugino (wow, where did she come from?) is so good; you almost forget that this movie loses its center of gravity about 3/4ths of the way in.

De Palma still has yet to make his perfect movie. You get the sense that he'll get there eventually, but "Snake Eyes" isn't going to win any converts and will probably preach only to the Beatle-esque choir in which I find myself a member. Oh well. Some things have to remain irrational like that.

—Ian Williams

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