Snake Eyes
Starring Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinise Directed By Brian De Palma Running Time: 1 hour 39 minutes.
(Touchstone Pictures)
Brian De Palma, the director who bought us Carrie, Dressed To Kill and Mission:Impossible is back, and has bought all his technical expertise with him. Sadly, he forget to bring a good story and believable characters. Nic Cage plays Rick Santaro, a fast talking cop who is watching a boxing match with his friend Commander Kevin Dunne (Sinise.) An assassination takes place, and Santaro tries to peace together how it took place, trying to work out the roles of the people involved in this conspiracy. The film uses flashbacks and video cameras to bring the mystery together.
However, the film doesn't keep the mystery for long, and once the big 'secret' is out concerning Kevin Dunne, the film is at a dead end. Although there are some fantastic shots by De Palma, including a 15 minute Steadicam shot at the start of the film, halfway through the film drops dead. The problem is that De Palma doesn't have a strong story or characters to work with. He tries to offshoot this with flashy camera techniques, but pretty soon this has no effect on the audience, and I quickly got bored. Nic Cage and Gary Sinise try to inject some life into some poorly realised characters, but it's no use. They are boring, faceless, and completely unlikeable. Yes, another problem with the film is that there's no-one to root for. We're supposed to be on Cage's side, because his character becomes nicer throughout the film. However, his change is sadly unbelievable. Poor Gary Sinise's character is terrible, who completely changes throughout the start, the middle and the end, in an appalling way.
The film's use of flashback quickly gets boring. While clever and interesting the first few times, it quickly becomes apparent that flashbacks are being used because the film has nowhere to go. They certainly don't increase the tension or suspense of the movie. There is small thread of suspense running through the film, but it certainly doesn't make this film a powerhouse thriller, rather just a slightly below average one. The script is lousy and contrived, the characters flat and two dimensional. Certainly not good factors for a film passing itself off for a thriller.
The most depressing aspect of the film is that it had potential. There's a good story buried in Snake Eyes, it's just bogged down in razzle dazzle and flashbacks. It also gives itself away far too quickly, rather than leaving the big twist for the end. While the performances are intriguing, especially by newcomer Carla Gugino as a sexy 'number cruncher' wrapped up in the case, there's no way of altering the fact that Snake Eyes is a terminal case of style of substance, and unless you're a big fan of either Cage or flash directing, should be avoided.
RATING=** OUT OF *****
A David Wilcock Review ©1998
DAVID WILCOCK david.wilcock@btinternet.com Visit the Wilcock Movie Page! http://wilcockmovie.home.ml.org -OR- http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/9061 Recieve Wilcock Movie Page Reviews via E-MAIL Send a blank E-MAIL to wmp-reviews-subscribe@makelist.com to join the mailing list!
"You know, for kids"- Norville Barnes
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