Snake Eyes (1998)
Country: US
Technical: DeLuxe/Panavision
Director: Brian de Palma
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, John Heard, Carla Gugino, Stan Shaw, Kevin Dunn, Luis Guzmán
Synopsis:
An Atlantic City cop with ambitions above his station and few scruples about how to fulfil them attends a heavyweight boxing bout at a hurricane battered hotel. Also celebrating that night are the Defence Secretary and a smug military, which has just had its new anti-missile programme approved. However, as the fight is thrown in the ring, an assassin's bullet is about to mask a similar duplicity.
Review:
The director deploys his material with customary aplomb, utilising multiple perspective narrative, split screen, overhead and lateral boxed sets, etc., but as usual neglects characterization - Cage has to negotiate an impressive volte-face and some pretty excruciating trademark swank, while Sinise and Heard are made to be pantomime villains yet again. Furthermore, the dialogue has a wooden, pulpy ring to it likely to cause even the most undiscerning popcorn-eating genre enthusiast to cry foul; only the aesthetically engaged viewer will derive much pleasure from this extravaganza, which fails ultimately to convince even him that the action is in fact all taking place under the one roof.
Country: US
Technical: DeLuxe/Panavision
Director: Brian de Palma
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, John Heard, Carla Gugino, Stan Shaw, Kevin Dunn, Luis Guzmán
Synopsis:
An Atlantic City cop with ambitions above his station and few scruples about how to fulfil them attends a heavyweight boxing bout at a hurricane battered hotel. Also celebrating that night are the Defence Secretary and a smug military, which has just had its new anti-missile programme approved. However, as the fight is thrown in the ring, an assassin's bullet is about to mask a similar duplicity.
Review:
The director deploys his material with customary aplomb, utilising multiple perspective narrative, split screen, overhead and lateral boxed sets, etc., but as usual neglects characterization - Cage has to negotiate an impressive volte-face and some pretty excruciating trademark swank, while Sinise and Heard are made to be pantomime villains yet again. Furthermore, the dialogue has a wooden, pulpy ring to it likely to cause even the most undiscerning popcorn-eating genre enthusiast to cry foul; only the aesthetically engaged viewer will derive much pleasure from this extravaganza, which fails ultimately to convince even him that the action is in fact all taking place under the one roof.
Country: US
Technical: DeLuxe/Panavision
Director: Brian de Palma
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, John Heard, Carla Gugino, Stan Shaw, Kevin Dunn, Luis Guzmán
Synopsis:
An Atlantic City cop with ambitions above his station and few scruples about how to fulfil them attends a heavyweight boxing bout at a hurricane battered hotel. Also celebrating that night are the Defence Secretary and a smug military, which has just had its new anti-missile programme approved. However, as the fight is thrown in the ring, an assassin's bullet is about to mask a similar duplicity.
Review:
The director deploys his material with customary aplomb, utilising multiple perspective narrative, split screen, overhead and lateral boxed sets, etc., but as usual neglects characterization - Cage has to negotiate an impressive volte-face and some pretty excruciating trademark swank, while Sinise and Heard are made to be pantomime villains yet again. Furthermore, the dialogue has a wooden, pulpy ring to it likely to cause even the most undiscerning popcorn-eating genre enthusiast to cry foul; only the aesthetically engaged viewer will derive much pleasure from this extravaganza, which fails ultimately to convince even him that the action is in fact all taking place under the one roof.