Can a dirty cop do the right thing when the Secretary of Defense is assassinated in front of him? This week a look back at the Brian De Palma thriller, Snake Eyes.
Logline
Rick Santoro is a corrupt but popular cop in Atlantic City, and he is living his best life. Between shaking down low life criminals, and supporting his wife and girlfriend, Rick receives an invite to the championship fight of Lincoln Tyler, by his old friend Commander Kevin Dunne.
The two pals catch up ringside, and Rick learns that Dunne is working security for the Secretary of Defense, who is also at the fight. Caught up in the flurry of action ringside, Rick watches in horror as the champ gets knocked down, which is going to cost him a lot of money that he bet on the fight, and the assassination of the Secretary of Defense.
Assessing the damage, Rick tries to help his friend, who is scrambling at the death of his boss. Searching for the woman who was talking to the Secretary at the time of the shooting, Rick learns that there is more at play ringside then he thought.
From a champion fighter who took a dive, to Dunne’s story which doesn’t add up, Rick Santoro must decide what he will do. Will he rise to the occasion and be a good cop, or will he let nature take its course, make some money, and look the other way when a real crime is about to happen?
High Praise
The tension that is built into the story from the claustrophobia of the ring, to being stuck inside because of the coming hurricane, builds the suspense, and makes Snake Eyes easy to stay focused on. There are a lot of plot devices being checked off, but the intricacy of the conspiracy and how the clues were right in front of the audience will inspire rewatches of the movie.
Gary Sinise is great. I love him in every movie, and the fact that he has the opposite lead role to Cage was a great choice. His mannerisms and personality are perfect for the role.
John Heard is always likable in the thankless scumbag role.
This isn’t Nicolas Cage’s best role, but he is great as Rick Santoro.
What Were They Thinking
The biggest problem that I have with Cage as Santoro is the opening ten minutes. His eccentric manic energy is silly and could have been toned down. When the assassination happens, Santoro changes personalities, and while I understand why, it’s jarring and takes the viewer out of the movie for a few moments. They feel like two completely different characters. Santoro could be flashy and showy for Dunne at the beginning, but Cage didn’t need to overdue the performance.
I feel like the blossoming romance between Santoro and Julia is missing a scene. There needed to be something more that showed why they would end up as a couple. After all, throughout the whole story Santoro has a wife and a girlfriend already. It seems like we missed a critical moment to show how they were growing into a relationship.
Backlot Knowledge
- The movie was primarily shot in Montreal at the Montreal Forum.
- Atlantic City exterior shots were filmed later.
- Cage, Sinise, and Gugino were all nominated for Blockbuster Award’s for their work in the film, but Cage was the only one to win.
- The film’s apparent continuous shot at the opening of the film does not last the whole twenty minutes. Only about 12 minutes of the twenty minutes is one clear shot.
- The movie’s original ending, which involved a tidal wave created by ILM was cut in post-production but there are still numerous references to it in the film, including Santoro mentioning how he almost drowned.
- The role of Commander Kevin Dunne was originally written for and offered to Will Smith. When Paramount wouldn’t pay the salary he wanted, Smith dropped out for Enemy of the State.
- Al Pacino reportedly also turned down the role of Commander Kevin Dunne.
- At the 1 hour, 29 minute mark of the film you can hear Brian De Palma say, “What about the cocaine?”
- Gilbert Powell is based on Donald Trump.
- The movie finished filming two weeks ahead of schedule.
- The film was criticized for revealing the villain so quickly in the story. De Palma himself took aim at the critics and said the film was never meant to be about discovering the villain, it was about the relationships between the characters that mattered the most.
- The movie landed in second place when it was released to the number one movie at the time Saving Private Ryan.
- Actor Keving Dunn who plays the reporter Lou Logan benefited from the lead character being similarly named as him. Apparently, Dunn started production in a penthouse suite which was originally reserved for Gary Sinise. When the mistake was noticed, Dunn had to move out to a chain hotel.
- Luis Guzman has a small role in the film.
Critical Response
{Snub-Skip this Film, Overexposed-Desperate for Something to Watch, Clapper-A Perfect Film For Any Device, Magic Hour– You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen, Award Worthy– This Film is Cinema.}
Snake Eyes is a highly enjoyable tightly wound thriller that still entertains and will keep the audience interested throughout the picture. Nicolas Cage gives a great performance, but it is Gary Sinise that had me riveted, and I will gladly rewatch this film again.
It’s not a great film, but one will enjoy the fast-paced story, and the conclusion makes sense in a real-world situation.
Snake Eyes gets the Clapper award for being the perfect film for any device.
Best Quotable Line
“It isn’t lying! You just tell them what you did right, and you leave out the rest!”
Best Use of the Movie Title in the Film
At the climax of the film when Santoro confronts Dunne about what’s happened and the news van and police have confronted them, Dunne pleads with Santoro to help him out. Santoro’s response is perfect.
“There’s no ‘we’ Kevin. You got snake eyes.”
Call Sheet
- Nicolas Cage and Rick Santoro
- Carla Gugino as Julia Costello
- Gary Sinise as Commander Kevin Dunne
- John Heard as Gilbert Powell
- Stan Shaw as Lincoln Tyler
Production Team:
Directed by Brian De Palma
Produced by Touchstone Pictures /Paramount Pictures
Written by Brian De Palma / David Koep
Release Date: August 7, 1998
Budget: $73 million
Domestic Box Office Gross: $55,591,409
Worldwide Box Office Total: $103,891,409
Coming Attractions
Next week a look back at the boxing buddy drama, Play It to the Bone.