Daninger very weak, unfortunately

Connianatu How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

andreolimarco I think that the strong point of this film is the direction. Maybe the story is predictable, little original and so on... but it is undeniable Brian De Palma's job on camera movements and on the style is extraordinary. Do we want to talk about the - fake - long take at the beginning, that lasts more than 10 minutes, in which the whole meaning of the film is included? Moreover, I've seen much worse performances by Nicholas Cage.

carbuff This film hasn't age brilliantly, but it's still halfway decent. It dates from before Nicholas Cage's absurd, self-inflicted, IRS problems, after which artistic integrity began running a distant second (or third? or fourth? or fifth?) to cold, hard cash. The basic plot is one you have seen in some variation a thousand times before, although, Cage, in his usual over the top way, adds some spice to it. I'm desperately trying to write a longer review, but there is so little to say here. Overall, it's a very derivative story with workmanlike, but far from outstanding, performances. Honestly, your time would almost certainly be better spent on an awful lot of other thrillers out there, although you won't do too much self-flagellation if you choose to spend (squander?) your time on this instead.

Tweekums Protagonist Rick Santoro is a cop in Atlantic City; he is not a hero; he takes bribes and shakes down crooks rather than arrest them. His friend Commander Kevin Dunne is almost his opposite; an upstanding naval officer who is in town leading the security detail of the Defence Secretary. Dunne is keen for everything to go well as his boss watches a boxing match… unfortunately it doesn't while Dunne is investigating a suspicious redhead shots ring out and the Secretary goes down. A second shot clips the woman next to him and as she flees Santoro sees that her blonde hair was a wig. Dunne shoots the assassin but he knows he messed up however Santoro assures him he can spin it so he looks good.At first it looks like a single terrorist is behind the crime but the investigation quickly suggests otherwise; the shooter fired just after the favourite hit the canvas in what TV footages shows was a dive. We soon learn that he was approached by the redhead and another member of the crowd shouted his cue to dive… clearly there was a conspiracy. It looked as though this was going to be a mystery but forty minutes in we learn who the chief bad guy is at it isn't much longer before we learn the wounded girl was in fact a target as she was blowing the whistle on company giving falsified data to win a defence contract. The question is will Santoro save her and expose the corruption or will he live up to his reputation and take the easy option.This is a solid thriller; not a classic but worth watching on television or picking up if you see it in the bargain bin. The story gets off to a good start and sets up an interesting mystery… it is just a shame that the bad guy was exposed so soon; it would have been better if we'd learnt his identity at the same time as Santoro. The action is well handled even if things get a bit cliché towards the end. Nicolas Cage is delightfully over the top as Santoro and Gary Sinise is solid as his friend Dunne. Carla Gugino looks good as the female lead although her character is sadly underused. Overall an entertaining way to pass an hour and a half.

Wuchak Brian De Palma's "Snake Eyes" (1998) is about a fast-talking shady Atlantic City detective, Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage), who becomes involved with a murder conspiracy at a heavyweight boxing match in an Atlantic City casino while a hurricane hits. Gary Sinise plays Naval officer Commander Dunne, Santoro's best friend, and Carla Gugino plays a mysterious woman in white.This is a top-of-the-line crime thriller that cost a bundle. The opening 13-minute sequence is an amazing continuous shot, but some say it actually consists of several seamless cuts. Regardless, it's filmmaking of the highest order. The score by Ryûichi Sakamoto is unique and a highlight. Gugino is a cutie and Jayne Heitmeyer is stunning as the lady in red. Interestingly, practically the entire movie takes place in the extravagant casino/hotel.Some complain about the contrivances of the ending, but all these types of thrillers contain contrivances; besides, it's not as bad as people say if you reflect on it. Speaking of the ending, as good as the opening is I actually enjoyed the second half more, which is when the real villain manifests. What I like about the antagonist is that he or she has a good -- almost noble -- motive. But does the end justify the means? Like the excellent "Training Day," "Snake Eyes" is about a corrupt authority figure but, unlike that movie, redemption might still be possible. Unfortunately, the chickens must first come home to roost, as they say.On the downside, as great as the two women are, they coulda done more with 'em, but this is a minor cavil.The film is lean at 98 minutes and was shot in Atlantic City and Montreal.GRADE: B+