Snake Eyes (1998)

Written by CinemaSerf on August 28, 2023

My biggest problem with this, aside from the shockingly wooden acting from Nicolas Cage - is that I saw through the subterfuge almost immediately. Quite possibly luck, but once I'd guessed who was doing what to whom, the thing just descended into a remarkably procedural thrill-free thriller that I really struggled to remain engaged with. As it is, dodgy cop "Santoro" (Cage) finds himself embroiled in the assassination of the US Defence Secretary at a boxing match. Working with his military security chief - and close friend "Dunne" (Gary Sinise) he has to try and find out just who would gain by this, and why. There are a few red herrings, a mysterious woman in white, and as the story develops plenty of plausible enough candidates, but there is precious little jeopardy and the "Santoro" character is neither likeable nor engaging. Some of the dialogue is pretty cringeworthy, and I am afraid I just found the whole thing a fairly mediocre and forgettable effort all round.