Snake Eyes is electrifying filmmaking from Brian De Palma, who at one point in his career was billed in voice-over during trailers for his films as the “modern master of suspense,” a title he totally earned. The opening 20 minutes of this film are so stunning that we could only hope to get sequences of pure filmmaking like this in every single movie in every single calendar year. And even if many people seem to find fault with the final act, I don’t, and never did; while the “Hand of God” tidal wave sequence would have been cool to see from a visual perspective, the climax works just fine as it is, and wraps everything up the way it should. Also – the absolute final scene between Nicolas Cage and Carla Gugino stings with moral complexity and ends on an untraditional note of uncertainty — shades of 70’s storytelling peeking through the cracks of a big-budget, late 90’s thriller.
A sleazy and chest-hair-proud Cage was completely on fire in this film, totally flamboyant and awesomely over the top as a morally bankrupt Atlantic City cop who gets in way over his head at a heavy weight title fight which is taking place at a casino during a hurricane. Oh, and the United States Secretary of Defense is on hand for the bout, and wouldn’t you know it, he’s about to get assassinated in the opening reel. What follows is a battle of wits between Cage, his sketchy military “friend” played by Gary Sinise, and various interactions with a rogue’s gallery of supporting actors including Michael Rispoli, Stan Shaw, Kevin Dunn, John Heard, Joel Fabiani, Luis Guzman, Mike Starr, David Anthony Higgins, Chip Zien, and Eric Hoziel. The alluring Gugino perfectly fit the prototypical De Palma heroine, delivering a sexy and crafty performance as Cage’s reluctant helper, and red-head Jayne Heitmeyer made a very memorable appearance during a crucial portion of the visually audacious protracted opener.
Ryuichi Sakamoto’s bravura score amplified every single sequence – it’s true sonic glory and one of my favorite soundtracks to any De Palma film. And don’t get me started on how much Stephen H. Burum POWER is contained in this film. This was the second to last film that the vastly underrated cameraman shot for De Palma, and in tandem with the legendary stedicam operator Larry McConkey, he crafted one of the most visually muscular and all-together exciting cinematic atmospheres I can think of. From the two or three extended takes that comprise the utterly gripping and fabulous opening sequences, including McConkey pulling off a Dutch angle while operating the rig, Snake Eyes contains passages of purely visual filmmaking that should serve as sequences worthy of study. From De Palma’s obsessive love for the split-screen and overhead photography to his undying fascination for femme fatales and the tropes of the Hitchcockian thriller, Snake Eyes played to the director’s unmatched strengths, while the script, which was concocted by De Palma and big-money-scribe David Koepp, had tons of fun with genre conventions and the upending of our expectations in key instances.
De Palma, like few other directors, really knew how to explore paranoia within the narratives to his films, and all of the actors in Snake Eyes brought a level of mystery to their performances. Bill Pankow’s razor-sharp editing knew precisely how long to hold on every single moment, keeping an intense edge present all throughout. And then there’s the film’s elegant and totally amazing theatrical trailer, which is cut and scored with the precision of a diamond. Released in August of 1998, the film was a modest success at the United States box office, a solid worldwide hit, and a massive audience favorite on VHS/DVD/cable. The Blu-ray absolutely pops off the screen. Even in a throwaway genre picture, De Palma brought a sense of pure cinema and consummate craftsmanship to the table.
Podcasting Them Softly 