Snake Eyes [Region 2] | ![Snake Eyes [Region 2]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5115ZPVWBQL._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: Brian De Palma
Actors: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, John Heard, Carla Gugino, Stan Shaw
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $19.01
Used (2) from $19.01
Rating:  122 reviews
Format: Pal
Languages: German (Original Language), English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), Italian (Original Language), English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), Dutch (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), Norwegian (Subtitled), Danish (Subtitled), Finnish (Subtitled), Hebrew (Subtitled), Greek (Subtitled), Icelandic (Subtitled), Croatian (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Running Time: 98 Minutes
EAN: 7321922345691
ASIN: B00004RYOJ
Theatrical Release Date: August 7, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Brian De Palma's 1998 thriller is largely an exercise in airing out his orchestral, oversized visual style (think of his Blowout, Body Double, or Raising Cain) for the heck of it. The far-fetched story features Nicolas Cage as a crooked police detective attending a championship boxing match at which the Secretary of Defense is assassinated. The unfortunate Secretary's right-hand man (Gary Sinise) happens to be Cage's old friend, a fact that complicates the cop's efforts to reconstruct the crime from conflicting accounts--a directorial strategy bearing similarities to Kurosawa's Rashomon. The outrageousness of the scenario essentially gives De Palma permission to construct a baroque cathedral of spectacular camera stunts, which (he well knows) are inevitably more interesting than the hoary conspiracy plot. (The opening scene alone, which runs on for a number of minutes and consists of one, unbroken shot that moves in from the street, following Cage up and down stairs, and in and out of rooms until finally ending ringside at the match, is breathtaking.) The shifting points of view--based on the contradictory statements of witnesses--also give De Palma license to get creative with camera angles and scene rearrangements. The script bogs down in the third act, but De Palma is just revving up for a big, operatic finish that is absolutely gratuitous but undeniably impressive. Yes, it's style over substance in Snake Eyes, but what style we're talking about. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews: Read 117 more reviews...
 dePalma's Unique Directorship is worth the price February 20, 2009
Marvin Lee Jr. (Glendale, CA United States)
As old newer classics go, this one is definitely worth the admission price. It starts out with a long, incredibly well choreographed setup in which a camera follows Cage, constantly ad libbing as only Cage can, and this whole sequence unfolds over many breathtaking minutes, with no apparent "cuts" in the action. That was memorable when I saw this flick over a decade ago, and it's still unsurpassed by the CGI junk that we see today. Gary Sinise is wonderful as the sneaky evil dude, and Carla Gugino was new and gorgeous.
 I Agree The Ending Was Weak But Overall It's An Entertaining Movie December 18, 2008
Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
Most people didn't like this movie, from what I have heard and read over the years. However, I found this a very fast-moving, involving story with Nicholas Cage playing an extremely interesting person: "Rick Santoro," a guy who acts like a complete crazy man at the beginning but slowly gets it together as the film goes on.
Gary Sinise plays his normal corrupt role. (This was before his good-guy CSI: New York days.) Brian DePalma directed this, so you know it's going to be stylishly shot, too, a bit sleazy. The film looks very good on DVD.
All the characters are interesting, actually. One complaint: the ending was a bit weak and detracts from the story. It's an edgy story and one that will keep your interest all he way. Don't be discouraged reading a lot of negative reviews on oher sites about this film. It's good entertainment.
 Unfortunately Something Has to Happen September 8, 2008
William P. Mcneill (Seattle, Washington USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The first thirty minutes are great. You get your money's worth from Brian De Palma in the form of a bravura continuous shot of the various backstage movers at an Atlantic City prizefight. It's the perfect fusion of layered exposition and sheer style. You also get your money's worth from Nicholas Cage playing to the rafters as a slimeball cop in a bright yellow shirt. The opening sequence ends with a political assassination, and clues to the killers' identity emerge in multiple flashbacks that cover the same situation from different angles. It's a great gimmick, but unfortunately De Palma doesn't stick with it. About midway through the conspiracy is unmasked, the flashbacks are abandoned, and "Snake Eyes" settles into a conventional thriller with Cage racing to save the life of a pretty young woman who Knows Too Much. Like so many movies based around a great premise, the premise can't stretch to fill the whole running time. Eventually something has to happen, and in this case you've seen that something a thousand times before.
Had So Much Potential And In The End It All Gets Ruined January 8, 2008
Sebastian Sanjurjo (Miami FL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Brian De Palma has always been one of my favorite directors; he has an extraordinary way to bring his ideas to screen. Like his other films he brings in the awesome camera angles that are of course his trademark. But here the angles seem useless, they are well brought out and at times a bit overused but definitely pointless.
The film story which is a bit far-fetched commences with a police detective attending a championship boxing match (played by Nicolas Cage). In the match we witness from many deferent angles an assassination during the match. The question now lies as to who is responsible for the assassination and why. Little by little we are revealed what happened and how it happened from many points of view. Now even though the angles and different views are quite enticing and boggles the mind a bit it all seems pointless. Why should you confuse the audience over and over again when we know in the first 15 minutes who is responsible for the assassination. And not to mention the ending which is so dumb and it cheats its way out. It feels like the writers had a great idea for a movie but just didn't know how to develop it or end it. The movie is entertaining and it's okay just don't expect a huge twist or surprise in the end because all you're goanna get is disappointment.
MY PERSONAL RATING: 3 OUT OF 5
De Palma is a genius with the camera!!!, September 25, 2007
Jenny J.J.I. (That Lives in Northern Nevada)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's more mystery, who-dun-it type thriller, where you have to figure out who did what from the "clues" given throughout the film. Although this was more the type of movie where they didn't actually give you any visible clues, they just showed the scene again from another point of view later on, so the audience would go, ohh, I get it now... that's what really happened...
"Snake Eyes" stars Nicolas Cage as Atlantic City cop Rick Santoro. Now Rick is the kind of guy who'll take a few bucks from you and look away. He's got a wife, and a kid, and a girlfriend. He drives an expensive car, and has aspirations of running for mayor. Everyone knows about Rick, especially his friend, Navy Commander Kevin Dunn (Gary Sinise). It's fight night at the Atlantic City Convention Center, and the Secretary of Defense is in attendance, with Dunn as the lead "bodyguard" for the night. But shortly after the fight starts, an assassin's bullet kills the Secretary, and the chaos begins. It's up to Santoro to figure out who did what and why. Without ruining anything, it turns out to be a few stories, seemingly having nothing to do with each other, that come together as Santoro figures out what happened, and learns a few things he really didn't want to know.
This was a pretty good film. "Pretty" being the highlighted word of that sentence. Visually, it was very enjoyable. I love movies where they show scenes from different points of views then later on they have a voice over explaining what happened, and then they show that same scene from a different angle, just so you can see what you missed. The opening of "Snake Eyes" is fantastic. Cage is electrifying in the opening, and remains full of energy throughout the entire film. He steals every scene. Gary Sinise has been better, and his role seemed quite similar to other roles he has played - Ransom came to mind. Although the film is very energetic, the plot is full of holes and doesn't seem to hold together all that well. The rest of the cast is very good, as is the production design and the cinematography. The 'climatic showdown' is one of the most manufactured Hollywoodised endings you can imagine. Because the start was so good, you expect the film to hold up and continue to deliver the punches, but it seems to fall slightly after that - very much the fault of the script. Overall, I'd say "Snake Eyes" was a good thriller. It was a stylish film, with strong acting that probably deserved a better story. For those who want to learn more about Depalma through this site go to R.A. Bean "filmfanatical" because he's Depalma's number one fan.
"The End"
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