Just perfect...

Absolutely Brilliant!

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

If you're like me you want to like Snake Eyes. Nicholas Cage and Brian DePalma make for that possibility. I mean Cage needs a good role and DePalma whose talent hasn't exactly been up to it's early level should be ready for another hit. Snake Eyes isn't going to be that hit. This movie moves and I mean moves. It's a frantic start with Cage showing some chutzpah with what he's painting. The venue is perfect for DePalma as it's maximum humidity and torrential rain in Atlantic City. With a rigged fight as the backdrop for a complex crime none of the potential is wasted early on. The cinematography is like another character in it's intensity and power. Things soon start unraveling though. The story is way too much of a stretch playing out with a cast of unlikely characters in a way too public place. Gary Sinease is slumming here and it feels wrong. Cage continues to do his schtick better than the movie actually gives him legs to do. It becomes ridiculous way too fast and deep.This is the type of movie I tend to keep watching to see if my early investment might be redeemed. In this case it's a waste though since it just keeps sinking under the mess it's created for itself with the lame story.

Not all De Palma films are beloved. Snake Eyes is considered one of his weakest. The story is generic and the ending is a complete letdown. But the cinematography is so on point, it's really hard to dislike this film. It's a lot of fun, in fact. Nicholas Cage doesn't get better. Gary Sinise is superb. The opening shot is a steady cam, long take, reminiscent of the Copa scene in Goodfellas and the opening to Boogie Nights. It gets you right into Ricky's world, and immediately, you are hooked. De Palma knows how to get you invested in his characters. Overall, it's very surprising to me how much of a bad rep Snake Eyes has.

Brian De Palma's "Snake Eyes" 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.De Palma employs some outstanding camera work; particularly the camera view replicating from the prize fighter's eyes that then turns into the mirror and you see the fighter, shadow boxing, and the scene in the upper hotel rooms where the camera looks down and glides over several adjacent rooms to show how people really behave behind closed doors. The rest of the movie doesn't quite live up to the grace of its opening, but it still has a nice elegant style going for it. The story/script is nothing amazing, but De Palma rescues it with his visual panache, and it remains one of Nicolas Cage's most over the top, entertaining performances. Also, Stan Shaw's performance is my favorite part in the film. There's some cool Brian De Palma shots and some references to "Vertigo" and other films, but the end kind of undercuts the good things.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

While Nicolas Cage is brilliant as ever in Snake Eyes, it is not him but Brian de Palma who is the real star of the show. No filmmaker, I daresay, can make the camera dance like de Palma. The camera maneuvering that he employs here is just breathtaking to watch. The opening tracking shot is quite easily the movie's highlight. The 20 minute Steadicam sequence may have a couple of hidden cuts but de Palma certainly succeeds in evoking the great Max Ophüls. Then there are other sequences which such innovative camera positioning and angles that one is instantly reminded of the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Alas, despite its early promise, Snake Eyes fails to sustain the suspense! The movie falls flat in final act with de Palma failing to orchestrate a fitting closure. That said, Snake Eyes offers more than most modern-day thrillers. If de Palma's camera play is not a good enough reason for you to watch a film then you may watch it for Nicolas Cage, who, like was the norm in the 90s, delivers yet another thoroughly engaging performance. Cage's dialog delivery is seldom better than what we get to savor during the opening tracking sequence. Cage is well supported by Gary Sinise and Carla Gugino. Cage and de Palma succeed in creating magic... it's a different matter they are not able to sustain it till the end.For more on the world of cinema, please visit my film blog "A Potpourri of Vestiges".