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Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes

1998
Suspense/Thriller, Crime
1h 38m
Rick Santoro (Cage), a flamboyant Atlantic City police detective, comes to watch the fight and cash in on the hectic betting action. Suddenly, gunfire cuts down a ringside government official, and 14,000 fans suddenly become 14,000 suspects. What eyewitnesses saw, what a casino-wide spycam network reveals and what a mysterious woman in white knows--all lead to a shattering truth Santoro does not want to believe. (Paramount)
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Snake Eyes

1998
Suspense/Thriller, Crime
1h 38m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 37.12% from 2628 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(2628)
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Rated 22 Jul 2015
68
48th
Crazy Cage puts a woman who wears progressively less clothes throughout the movie in a closet and gets a medal for it. The climax consists of two men taking five minutes to walk down a hall to open said closet, while a lady reports the weather outside. Hoo boy. Cheesy, pulpy, but I had fun. Great camerawork and an amusing cast, but it kinda feels like the instant noodles of thrillers. What I mean by that is th-[*is shot from off-screen*]
Rated 13 Apr 2015
61
31st
Starts out really good - great even, with fluid camera work and strong characterization. But once the plot gets going it becomes increasingly apparent that this wasn't really thought out all the way. The revelations are increasingly contrived and they obviously wrote themselves into a corner, leading to a highly ridiculous ending. Cage at least stays crazy enough throughout.
Rated 23 Dec 2015
40
43rd
A fast-paced thriller that literally flies by--and not just because I watched a version of this on Youtube that was sped up 10% so it wouldn't be auto-detected by the site's copyright protection software. You thought Nic Cage's performances were zonkers before, try watching them again when he sounds like an evil children's hospital clown who's been huffing helium. Minus 40 points for featuring neither dice nor snakes in the movie, but still shoehorning the title into a one-liner at its climax.
Rated 11 Nov 2016
66
38th
The storm of Rashomon plagues a human line of coke played by Nicolas Cage. It starts with ambition (how about that 10 minute one-take?) but unfortunately never follows through on the punch, and instead devolves into a third rate thriller with a gambling motif.
Rated 03 Jun 2019
70
53rd
I keep returning to this film. The camera cuts through the story like a hot knife through butter - and the story is often as stupid as that analogy. Cage and Sinise (when together, are as concentrate '90's as Surge and Warheads watching Pete & Pete) ride shotgun to style and I can't decide how much a problem that actually is.
Rated 24 Dec 2012
47
42nd
Great start with an excellent pace and high-intensity atmosphere. Unfortunately the film drags in the middle and is pretty mediocre by the end. The ending is actually quite poor and much of the writing is quite disappointing considering this could have been a top-notch mystery-thriller. At least the film is elevated by excellent cinematography, particularly in the first half of the film.
Rated 02 Feb 2013
50
49th
Interesting story with a few twists and turns. The writers are desperate to give the bad guys good motives, and turn a licentious dirty cop into a good guy. The only genuine character is played by Carla Gugino who is great in this, and also quite gorgeous. The story has tons of holes and some of the action is unconvincing, and the ending was all too convenient. However, it was also sometimes riveting and surprising, so not a waste of time.
Rated 03 Dec 2014
86
69th
If his 80's movies were the foundation for the architecture that would become Nicolas Cage's illustrious film career, then I think his 90's movies served as pillars which would support the weight of his later, more prominent roles. "Snake Eyes" may not be the best one among those 90's columns, but it will always stand out to me as one of the better ones, as if adorned with a single red gem on its concrete surface.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
39
27th
The opening half hour is relatively promising. This film then descends into total farce. The plot and script fall apart as De Palma and the cast lose all direction and interest. "Snake Eyes" had the potential to be entertaining, but it's a poorly executed film that ultimately goes nowhere.
Rated 25 Dec 2009
80
42nd
Begins magnificently, with a fine performance by Cage, but the plot and direction flag halfway through.
Rated 21 Nov 2010
70
69th
All the shouting that attempts to destroy your ear drums at the beginning of "Snake Eyes" is soon gone and replaced by an excellent performance by Cage and lots of engaging and totally realistic conspiracies. From then on, the action is mindblowing and almost never slows down. When it does a bit, you are treated with intense and magnificently written dialogues. Strongly directed by Brian De Palma, this is not too complex to make you give up and, simultaneously, really complex to keep you going.
Rated 07 Apr 2011
60
62nd
This is really all about the camera, and not just the remarkable bravura opening shot. There are the usual Hitchcockian elements one expects from this director, but in this case Welles and Kubrick (THE KILLING) are also present. Clearly there were production problems, severely affecting the conclusion, and the old-fashioned musical score also hurts. But with this and BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES, it seems possible I prefer De Palma's failures to his successes. Cage was good.
Rated 16 Nov 2011
4
55th
Brian de Palma makes the most magnificent trash. He really does. If I could just turn the audio off the characters and enjoy the musical score and camerawork achieved, I would love it. That should be a dvd feature.
Rated 09 Sep 2014
85
92nd
The seeing-is-deceiving tagline feels almost as an offer of what we should dig here -- something our eyes can trust. De Palma is not worried about the crime, but the many arresting and unnerving ways he can film it, through POV, split-screen, low-angle and sequence shots. So, this might look like a cheap neo-noir for some, but Snake Eyes demands to be taken seriously for its total compromise with images-- also, for its ironic, Passion-like use of disposable (here, TV, surveillance) footage.
Rated 04 Jul 2015
70
44th
Cage fits the role and he never shies away from a crazy story, usually - like here - going blow for blow by making himself equally crazy. It's got quite a nice mix of action and suspense, but it begins fading when the plot unravels into a ridiculous place. Still, it's got entertainment value.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
79th
The frantic pace rarely lets up, Nick is loud & exciting, And the plot even poses a dilemma. The rescue is a bit much but there's plenty of other movie magic that's thrilling. One of the few times i haven't felt ripped off seeing the same thing over & over.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
69
38th
A good inventive picture that is let down by a poor end.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
15th
Brilliant in parts, but loses out on greatness because it ruins its story so early on. From there, it's a by the numbers deal.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
93
83rd
One of the most underrated movies in the past 10 years. Inventive, creative, and it's got Nicholas Cage in his prime.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
43rd
Style over substance. But the style is great!
Rated 24 Sep 2008
25
10th
Horrible, and not in a fun way like Face Off
Rated 29 Aug 2009
67
37th
De Palma's work as a director keeps it from being terrible, and the opening shot is up there with Touch of Evil as one of the best long opening takes. But other than the visuals, it's just an average thriller with below average performances.
Rated 12 Oct 2009
45
24th
Gary Senise plays a character named Kevin Dunne in a movie that also stars Kevin Dunn... Whatever the puzzle is: this is the key!
Rated 10 Jan 2010
50
48th
Nice camerawork and Nick Cage is always entertaining, but everything else is blah. In hindsight all these 90's movies that made the first Gulf War out to be anything than a turkey shoot are hilarious after twenty years of neverending war.
Rated 25 Feb 2010
6
55th
Not as bad as the rankings on here would lead you to believe and this is coming from someone who generally hates De Palma's movies. Opening shot is great, about 12 minutes with no cuts. Cage always thrives in these type of roles and it's no different here.
Rated 02 Feb 2012
84
95th
great Nicolas Cage. and those tracking shots, those fucking tracking shots, man...
Rated 26 Feb 2012
55
28th
Not bad but not great either. It starts out really well but eventually falls apart and gets out of control by the end of it. People dog on Cage for this movie, but he was pretty good in this and it wasn't his fault the movie lost it's way.
Rated 23 Apr 2012
88
91st
I like this. Why? The cinematography is incredible, the script is engaging but, most importantly, Nicholas Cage gets the crap beat out of him. What's not to like here?
Rated 04 Sep 2012
80
37th
This is De Palma in full-on action movie mode and man if it isn't as exciting and suspenseful as all of the other things he has done. That scene where both Rick and Kevin are going after the girl is intense as all hell, plus there's just phenomenal camerawork throughout.
Rated 08 Nov 2012
65
42nd
Seems I like the bad DePalma films :L
Rated 29 Dec 2012
84
29th
A stylish, loopy thriller by Brian DePalma, brought down somewhat by a rushed ending, but buoyed by Cage's intensity.
Rated 27 Nov 2016
2
15th
A thorough mediocrity, but an entertaining one at that, with Nic Cage in full mega-acting mode in an absurd mystery punched up with de Palma's shamelessly, gleefully flashy Hitchcock homages and camera moves. Carla Gugino has never looked better.
Rated 11 Nov 2017
65
35th
I can't say that this De Palma outing is any less ridiculous than Dressed to Kill or Body Double, but, through a late 1990s lens, it looks more silly. That being said, Snake Eyes is a blast. Cage is so over the top that it is clear that he consumed all the cocaine on set at once. De Palma goes from scene to scene trying to outdo himself with POV takes, single takes, and crane shots. It is a wonderful mess of a film.
Rated 17 Apr 2018
60
48th
Snake Eyes is a mid-tier De Palma thriller that is mostly known for its impressive opening sequence and Cage's delightfully over the top performance. All of his stylistic tics are present, and he was still quite visually inventive, even if his tricks were beginning to show serious signs of exhaustion. The overhead shots through rooms are superbly done, and it's never boring. The dopey conspiracy plot is probably too dumb for its own good, but Cage holds it together with his deranged charisma.
Rated 29 Feb 2020
75
48th
Overcooked conspiracy yarn is really just a technical exercise/excuse for De Palma to bring his own spin to a RASHOMON-like tale (with a nod to BLOW OUT) - enjoyable and entertaining on that basis, with Cage's hyperkinetic energy perfectly utilised. Cold at its core, lacking any heart or a believable connection between Cage and Gugino (and sadly wastes Heard in a throwaway support bit).
Rated 26 Sep 2020
75
64th
On the Cage-o-Meter, this hits a 7. A film that knows its title is so great that it says it twice in dialogue.
Rated 29 Nov 2006
1
6th
A stale attempt at a thriller with wooden performances and a predictable mystery that I couldn't care less about.
Rated 20 Jan 2007
80
96th
de palma is a genis
Rated 27 Feb 2007
35
13th
Passes the time.
Rated 25 Mar 2007
47
28th
Well Carla Gugino is gorgeous and it's an alright movie. Those are the positives. The negative is Nicolas Cage.
Rated 22 May 2007
51
31st
Not as bad as everyone says... especially if you watch it for the cinematography. There are some gorgeous long one take scenes that must have been a killer to film.
Rated 09 Jul 2007
19
4th
if Nick Cage ever gets another movie, someone needs to have their head examined.
Rated 08 Aug 2007
63
31st
Great opening, mediocre movie
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
51st
Cool opening shot, cool Gary Sinise.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
78
47th
Good twist. Cage annoying in the beginning.
Rated 23 Aug 2007
68
64th
Good
Rated 16 Sep 2007
25
3rd
Turd of a movie with some cool shots. aka....Most DePalma films
Rated 22 Oct 2007
49
18th
This movie never really had much of a plot. It did not develop well and the acting was not very good except for Gary Sinise. Even Nicholas Cage was pathetic in this movie.
Rated 01 Feb 2008
2
33rd
Opening scene/shot is great, and then it just draaaaags.
Rated 05 Feb 2008
50
24th
Another nice little flick destroyed by Cage
Rated 22 Sep 2008
50
72nd
Floppede gevaldig, men kan godt lide stilen..
Rated 22 Dec 2008
6
35th
It felt like one of those average to low-budget late 80's films, despite when it was made.
Rated 30 Dec 2008
41
18th
I vaguely remember that I just didn't care who done it in this movie. I just kinda watched it waiting for it to end.
Rated 11 Jan 2009
80
70th
The movie is carried wonderfully by the escalating intrigue surrounding the events of one night. The conspiracies which arise, and the method in which several mysteries are revealed to us, is done with a lot of style. The slick lead characters add immeasurably to the film.
Rated 26 Jan 2009
65
30th
Amusing cage movie.
Rated 06 Feb 2009
30
32nd
I hate you, Cage.
Rated 15 Feb 2009
60
17th
remember poorly
Rated 16 Apr 2009
60
6th
Cage and De Palma are like peas in a pod. Unfortunately what De Palma really needs is a muse who's nothing like Cage, who can force him to make a serious, sombre piece. This film is a flashy mess.
Rated 08 Dec 2009
60
68th
3/5
Rated 05 Jan 2010
69
47th
Not bad. Maybe the "not bad" bit when Cage has sucked ass in almost every movie since is forcing me to score it higher than I should. Maybe not.
Rated 26 Jan 2010
70
79th
Awesome thriller with Gary Sinise and Nick Cage.
Rated 06 Feb 2010
70
60th
It would be a lot better if Cage wasn't in this film
Rated 20 Apr 2010
8
80th
Seeing a lot of distaste towards this feature I was hesitant in picking it up. However it turned out to be a good decision. Cage and Sinise control their scenes but when you have a loose Cage that is inevitable. De Palma's camera work was exceptional. I couldn't help but be impressed with what he pulled off in scenes that otherwise would of been just another card in a deck.
Rated 07 Jun 2010
80
60th
i'm not sure why but i love this movie
Rated 22 Aug 2010
60
71st
Begins with great camerawork, frantic pacing and well-structured story, but becomes increasingly generic, with sloppy writing and an oddly rushed/re-written ending. Sinise's body-hugging suit may explain his stiff performance, thankfully we get super-energetic Cage to even things out. Worth a watch, but doesn't live up to its early potential.
Rated 23 Oct 2010
35
90th
"Snake Eyes is about multiple perceptions of one major event, their relationship to each other and to the audience." - Paul Schrodt
Rated 04 Nov 2010
34
34th
#00s(e)#, story, (dir De Palma), (N Cage)
Rated 02 Dec 2010
60
34th
A bit of a letdown. Cage and Sinise were both very good and De Palma's camerawork is hit and miss. TERRISTS!
Rated 16 Jan 2011
70
10th
Meh... Nick cage is severely overrated
Rated 17 Jan 2011
20
3rd
- avoid at all costs
Rated 28 Nov 2011
55
47th
Good camera work.
Rated 23 Jun 2012
45
11th
44.500
Rated 02 Aug 2013
85
66th
Brian De Palma's Rashomon.
Rated 18 Sep 2013
52
12th
51.500
Rated 23 Jan 2014
73
39th
I liked this movie as a 12 year old... not a compliment!
Rated 11 May 2015
20
12th
Unrelentingly dull, with thinly disguised low-stakes nonsense dressed up as significant. Cage gets his acting out of the way after 20 minutes and the rest of the film is Gary Sinise reminding you he's the bad guy.
Rated 26 Aug 2015
63
10th
Detective Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage) has never played by the rules. When he attends a high-profile boxing match with his friend Navy Cmdr. Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise), as well as Defense Secretary Kirkland (Joel Fabiani), he witnesses a terrorist assassinate Kirkland. Despite a lockdown on the arena, key witness Julia Costello (Carla Gugino) escapes -- and Santoro begins to suspect Kirkland's death is part of a much larger conspiracy that involves boxing rivals and a beautiful stranger.
Rated 01 Jan 2017
70
76th
good movie
Rated 22 Sep 2017
40
16th
The first half hour is absolutely terrific. Unfortunately, with every new plot point, you're either way ahead of the writers, or you're laughing at how ludicrous it all becomes by the end. Nic Cage and Gary Sinise save it from being a waste of time with strong performances, but it loses the plot pretty hard to the point that it's almost impossible to care by the end. Eh.
Rated 31 Mar 2018
50
38th
Begins great, gives the feeling that you're gonna watch very good movie but it's an illusion don't believe on that.
Rated 03 Dec 2018
74
43rd
A cleverly constructed thriller that doesn't quite manage to live up to the promise of its fantastic 12-minute opening tracking shot (featuring Cage at the height of his powers), but is worth a watch nonetheless.
Rated 31 Jan 2019
80
81st
cage'i de palma'nın kamerasından izliyor olmak başlı başına bir görsel ziyafet. yorumlar üzerine, yarısında homurdanmaya başlayıp en iyi ihtimalle dalga geçerek eğleneceğim bir dandiklik beklerken böyle muazzam bir seyirlik bulmak şaşırtıcı oldu. ilk iki bölümde kurduğu beklentiyi final bölümüyle biraz hayal kırıklığına uğratıyor belki ama farklı katmanlarda işleyen, düz okununca anlamını yitiren başlı başına harika ve zeki bir *thriller b-film*
Rated 08 May 2019
56
25th
Already forgot the plot..
Rated 23 Sep 2019
63
46th
Great opening, seriously breathtaking cinematography, and a very entertaining performance from Nic Cage. Unfortunately, it loses a LOT of steam in the final act when Cage tones his performance down, the previously excellent sense of setting is lost, and the mystery wraps itself up unsatisfyingly. Still, I had a lot of fun and the camerawork alone makes this film worth a watch.
Rated 11 Oct 2020
23
20th
Still can't really get into De Palma. Opening is great, but its all downhill from there.
Rated 17 Mar 2021
82
81st
De Palma really pushes the camera to its limits. He does. He really does.
Rated 23 Jul 2021
60
51st
Not a bad thriller. Cage does have a few chances to go crazy, which I always appreciate, and the supporting cast is pretty good.
Rated 11 Aug 2021
45
36th
Host ratings: 62 / 74 / -. (Cage Match) Podcast review link: https://rydeorwrong.podcaster.de/rydeorwrong/folge-029-arielle-die-meerjungfrau-1989-snake-eyes-detective-pikachu-spuk-in-hill-house/
Rated 25 Aug 2021
43
31st
Fairly low tier for De Palma. Story is pure tripe, but the cast really leans into it, so it's watchable.
Rated 09 Feb 2022
75
78th
Great theme by Rychi sakamoto and what a story to fit the theme. The intro might also be the best I’ve ever seen
Rated 02 Apr 2022
75
60th
De Palma succeeds in creating a sense of chaos with long tracking shots, the opening long take alone is worth seeing this movie for, and lots going on in the background. Cage's high energy fits perfectly into this. And therefor gives one of the better performances of his career. De Palma also still is one of the few directors who know how to use a split screen well. It's too predictable, anyone can guess who the real culprit is. And the movie does lose some steam in the last third.
Rated 23 Jun 2022
60
31st
Around 70% of this is an ok film that's executed very well on a visual/technical level, and packed with people either acting slightly above where they should, or slightly below (or slightly below that). Additionally, the final act is underwhelming, convenient, and ends with a corny and entirely unforeshadowed romance. (sigh) DePalma's original intended ending sounds hilarious.
Rated 24 Nov 2022
78
58th
A very good smart dumb movie. The film works in convincing you that the plot is slightly less stupid than it is. Watching this mosaic piece itself together is a handy way of keeping the film from being boring, and dePalma is best suited to tackle the varying perspectives as they come out.
Rated 08 Jan 2024
58
30th
it's not an AA+ movie but its a good piece of cinema. Im afraid we will never see author movies of this class again.
Rated 13 Feb 2024
76
56th
The great extended opening sequence of this film is the best part. The cast does good work here, especially Nicolas Cage. The latter part of the film is not as good as the first part. Overall I would recommend this film.

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