Susan Granger's review of "SNAKE EYES" (Paramount Pictures)
Brian DePalma's a brash master of suspense and he tackles David Koepp's story with cinematic gusto. Set in a glitzy Atlantic City casino called the Millennium on the night that a tropical hurricane named Jezebelis bearing down on the New Jersey coast, the action revolves around a live, pay-per-view heavyweight championship boxing match. Nicolas Cage plays a manic, sleazy detective whose motto is: "If there's anything I know, it's how to cover my ass." He's ringside, watching the bout with his bestfriend, Gary Sinese, the naval officer in charge of security for the visiting Secretary of Defense. As the fight begins, in the midst of the cheering crowd, there are two, mysterious, out-of-place people. A woman wearing a tight, white suit and cheap blonde wig plops down next to the Secretary and hands him an envelope, while a buxom redhead positions herself a short distance away. Gunshots blast the government official before the knockout and pandemonium prevails as 14,000 terrified patrons stampede for the exits. And this all happens at the beginning of the movie - in one, technically awesome, uninterrupted 20-minute take. After that, unfortunately, everything else pales. Carla Gugino, as a nearsighted, blood-spattered young woman, holds the key to the truth. Obviously, there's a conspiracy and, inevitably, corruption is the underlying cause. It's all quite implausible and the mindless, contrived ending is infuriating. One interesting sidelight, however, is the massive, computer-controlled casino surveillance equipment that can find anyone, no matter how well they're hidden. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Snake Eyes" is a stylistic, exhausting 4. This wannabe mystery-thriller misses the mark by a wide margin.
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