Directed by Brian de Palma and screenplay by David Koepp from a story by de Palma and Koepp, Snake Eyes is the story of a police detective who attends a boxing match with a friend where an assassination takes place with everyone being a suspect. The film is a suspense-thriller that plays into a man dealing with his surroundings as well as wondering if what he claims to see really happened. Starring Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino, John Heard, Stan Shaw, and Kevin Dunn. Snake Eyes is a complex and mesmerizing film from Brian de Palma.
Set in Atlantic City on a rainy night where a major boxing fight is to occur in a hotel/casino before it’s to be torn down, an assassination of a defense secretary happens where a corrupt police detective was sitting in front of the man as he notices something is off as he and a friend find out what’s going on. It’s a film that plays into conspiracy theories over this assassination and who is involved and why where this crooked detective in Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage) is there just to see a fight only to suddenly having to work where he would realize that this wasn’t a typical assassination. David Koepp’s screenplay takes this simple premise of an investigation into this assassination where everyone is a suspect including this woman named Julia Costello (Carla Gugino) who was talking the defense secretary Charles Kirkland (Joel Fabiani) just as he was shot while she would also get a wound in her left arm.
With his friend Commander Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise) also investigating as he was Kirkland’s bodyguard who had suspected a woman in red named Serena (Jayne Heitmeyer) for being there without a ticket to the fight. Santoro would notice little things that are suspicious such as the fight as well as some of the people watching it which play into his need to find truth. Though Santoro is a flawed individual as he admittedly takes bribes and always gamble as well as being despicable at times. Still, he is a man that is willing to do his job as he would later deal with the fact that something isn’t right as the script does reveal a key twist during its second act with everything coming ahead for its third as Koepp maintains a sense of intrigue but also motivations into why this defense secretary is killed.
Brian de Palma’s direction is definitely stylish with its intricate tracking shots, crane shots, and all sorts of things which is often expected from de Palma. Notably the way he opens the film with this 12-minute continuous tracking shot with some invisible cuts that play into Santoro and his wild persona as the first thing shown is a newscaster (Tamara Tunie) on TV reporting outside of the casino as a major storm is happening and it then the camera pans to another TV screen where another reporter in Lou Logan (Kevin Dunn) is covering the fight and then the camera pans to Logan being filmed with Santoro walking behind him. This intricate shot showcases so much in the wide and medium shots as well as de Palma establishing what is happening and where Santoro is going he is also talking on the phone to his wife and a mistress as well as other people before sitting with Commander Dunne who would leave to deal with the woman in red where Julia would take Dunne’s seat to talk to Kirkland with nothing on the fight shot during this 12-minute sequence. The film would then become this suspense-thriller that showcases the event of the assassination as well as what was happening in the fight as well what was Commander Dunne doing and what Julie was talking to Kirkland about before he died.
These different point-of-views happen early in the second act as well as the twist which definitely show that there is something going on as de Palma uses this reveal to show a much bigger picture. Even as Julia becomes a target as she knows who might’ve planned the assassination yet isn’t able to identify the person because she can’t really see anything without glasses. These little details that include this intricate crane-tracking shot of the hotel rooms from above is among some of de Palma’s finest moments in playing up the suspense. The film’s climax play into not just the reveal of who planned the assassination and why but also the fact that there’s many people involved that someone as corrupt and troubled as Santoro would be likely to take whatever money is offered to not get involved. Yet, de Palma knows that even those who aren’t perfect and corrupt couldn’t exactly walk away from doing the right thing no matter how bad things can be. Overall, de Palma creates a wild yet gripping film about a detective figuring out who killed a man at a boxing match.
Cinematographer Stephen H. Burum does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in its usage of lights and soft focuses as well as create an atmosphere for many of the interiors including the hotel rooms, the casino, and the arena where the boxing match takes place. Editor Bill Pankow does excellent work with the editing with its usage of stylish invisible cuts, jump-cuts, split-screens, and fade-outs to play into the suspense that looms throughout the film. Production designer Anne Pritchard, with set decorator Daniel Carpentier plus art directors James Fox, Isabelle Guay, and Real Proulx, does amazing work with the look of the hotel rooms, the room of the boxer, and parts of the arena as well as some of the exteriors of the hotel/casino. Costume designer Odette Gadoury does terrific work with the costumes from the wild suit that Santoro wears for the fight to the stylish clothes some of the characters wear in the film.
Special effects supervisor Garry Elmendorf and visual effect supervisor Eric Brevig do fantastic work with some of the visual effects as it relates to the stormy weather for the film’s exterior including its climax. Sound editors Richard P. Cirincione and Maurice Schell do superb work with the sound in creating sound effects for the fight heard off screen as well as the chaos in the arena that relates to the crowd and gunfire. The film’s music by Ryuichi Sakamoto is wonderful for its orchestral score that play into the suspense with its string arrangements as well as bombastic pieces to play into the intensity of the reveals and other moments in the film.
The casting by Mary Colquhoun is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Adam C. Flores as the challenging boxer Jose Pacific Ruiz, Eric Hoziel as the shooter Tariq Rabat, James Whelan as the mayor of Atlantic City, Chip Chupika as the drunk in the audience, Jayne Heitmeyer as the woman in red named Serena, Chip Zien as Tyler’s manager, Michael Rispoli as Tyler’s agent, Tamara Tunie as the reporter Anthea, Peter McRobbie as a FBI official, Mike Starr as the casino security head Walt McGahn who helps Santoro, David Michael Higgins as a man Julia seduces into his hotel room so she can hide, and Luis Guzman as a friend of Tyler in Cyrus whom Santoro beats up over money which he uses to gamble.
Kevin Dunn is superb as the fight reporter Lou Logan as a friend of Santoro who is eager to get a break while would help Santoro reveal some things that Logan’s crew filmed. John Heard is fantastic as the hotel/casino owner Gilbert Powell who is believed to be part of the conspiracy as a way to get money for the new hotel he wants to create. Joel Fabiani is terrific as the defense secretary Charles Kirkland as the target of this assassination as a man who has the power to do something yet is unaware of what he will do as there are those that want him dead. Stan Shaw is excellent as the boxing champion Lincoln Tyler as a man who is believed to be part of the conspiracy as Santoro suspects his involvement where he is revealed to be a flawed man that is dealing with all sorts of problems.
Carla Gugino is brilliant as Julia Costello as a woman working in the defense department as she has uncovered some things that would harm a program as she also becomes a target forcing Santoro to protect her. Gary Sinise is amazing as Commander Kevin Dunne as Santoro’s best friend as a man that is assigned to protect Kirkland only to botch it as he copes with his shortcomings as well as become intent in uncovering the conspiracy. Finally, there’s Nicolas Cage in an incredible performance as Rick Santoro as a corrupt detective who attends the fight as a spectator only to see something is off as he does whatever he can to find out the truth only to cope with some major revelations as he becomes conflicted into doing what is right as well as loyalty.
Snake Eyes is a remarkable film from Brian de Palma that features a wild and fun performance from Nicolas Cage. Along with its supporting cast, complex twists and turns, dazzling visuals, and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s haunting score, it’s a film that bears a lot of the fun elements expected in a suspense thriller while also being this intriguing study of conspiracy and two men trying to uncover the truth with a woman being targeted for carrying the truth. In the end, Snake Eyes is a marvelous film from Brian de Palma.
Brian de Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) – (Greetings) – (The Wedding Party) – (Dionysus in ’69) – (Hi, Mom!) – (Get to Know Your Rabbit) – Sisters - Phantom of the Paradise – Obsession – Carrie - The Fury - (Home Movies) – Dressed to Kill - Blow Out - Scarface (1983 film) - Body Double – (Wise Guys) – The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito's Way - Mission: Impossible – Mission to Mars - Femme Fatale – The Black Dahlia - (Redacted) – Passion (2012 film) – (Domino (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Brian De Palma and screenplay by Jim Thomas, John Thomas, and Graham Yost from a story by Jim Thomas, John Thomas, and Lowell Cannon, Mission to Mars is the story of a group of astronauts who go on a rescue mission to Mars following a previous mission where things went wrong with one of their friends being its lone survivor. The film is a simple yet grand story about a rescue mission set in outer space where astronauts discovery the mysteries of the universe and this planet called Mars. Starring Gary Sinise, Don Cheadle, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O’Connell, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Kim Delaney, and Tim Robbins. Mission to Mars is an interesting but very lackluster film from Brian De Palma.
The film revolves around a rescue mission during an expedition on Mars where another group of astronauts make a huge discovery only for things go wrong leaving only one survivor and his friends doing the rescue mission. Along the way, many things go wrong as they all try to ponder what is going on in this planet of Mars as well as this mysterious thing in the planet. It’s a film that has a unique concept but there’s a lot of these aspects of sci-fi mumbo-jumbo and existentialist themes that really lose sight into the main story where it has no idea what it wants to be. The film’s script does do some fine work in establishing the characters and situations but try to do so much to make it so much more where it ends being very messy as well as feature some very idiotic dialogue. When the third act comes in for the reveal of what is inside this mountain that is shaped like a face. It is one of these reveals that is like “huh?”
Brian De Palma’s direction is quite stylish in not just the usage of tracking shots and scenes that are shot in zero gravity but also in the fact that creates a setting that does feel futuristic but not too futuristic. The setting of outer space with its space stations and space shuttles are very unique and does have De Palma take great stock into the images and everything. For the scenes set on Mars, much of it was shot in Jordan with some scenes shot in Vancouver and at the Canary Islands to create a world that feels vast and everything where De Palma does great usage of the wide shots. Despite some of these stylish moments and compositions, De Palma is unable to rise above many of the script’s shortcomings while the vortex sequence is quite silly in the way an astronaut is killed off. By the time the film reaches its climax into this mysterious thing in the planet and what it reveals, it ends being this very odd moment that is confusing where it wants the audience to believe in all of these things but it doesn’t anything rational or logical to back it up. Overall, De Palma creates a very messy and underwhelming film about a rescue/existential expedition on Mars.
Cinematographer Stephen H. Burum does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of filters for much of the film‘s exterior settings set on Mars as well as some unique lighting for the interiors of the ships. Editor Paul Hirsch does nice work with the editing as it helps play into the moments of suspense and drama as well as some bits of humor with its dissolves. Production designer Ed Verreaux, with art directors Andrew Neskoromny and Thomas Valentine and set decorator Lin MacDonald, does amazing work with the look of the space stations, its shuttles, and other vehicles used for the expeditions including some of its interiors. Costume designer Sanja Milkovic Hays does terrific work with the costumes from the look of the astronaut suits as well as the clothes they wear under the suits.
Visual effects supervisors John Knoll and Hoyt Yeatman does some fantastic work with some of the visual effects in the way Mars and the space stations looked though some of the sequences such as the vortex and what is revealed in the climax come off as very cheesy. Sound editors Lon Bender and Maurice Schell do superb work with some of the sound work in the film from the way some of the events that happen on Mars sound as well as the scenes set in space. The film’s music by Ennio Morricone is phenomenal as it’s one of the film’s highlights for its orchestral-based score that is filled with sweeping string arrangements as well as low-key pieces as it is a major highlight of the film.
The casting by Denise Chamian is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Robert Bailey Jr. as Luke’s son Bobby, Elise Neal as Luke’s wife Debra, as members of Luke’s crew in the Mars expedition in Jill Teed, Peter Outerbridge, and Kavan Smith, Kim Delaney in a small role as Jim’s late wife Maggie who wrote many ideas into the Mars expedition before her death, and Armin Mueller-Stahl as the Mars expedition leader Ramier Beck who ponders about the rescue mission and how it must not fail. Jerry O’Connell is alright as Phil Ohlmyer as an astronaut who is part of the rescue mission as he is a comic relief of sorts but not given much to do. Tim Robbins is superb as the rescue mission leader Woody Blake who knows what to do as well as realize the severity of the mission where things go wrong forcing him to make some drastic decisions.
Connie Nielsen is brilliant as Woody’s wife and astronaut Terri Fisher who is part of the rescue mission as well as be someone that is capable of getting things done. Don Cheadle is amazing as Luke Graham as the astronaut who is among the first to go to Mars until something goes wrong in a discovery where he copes with being its sole survivor and later being rescued where he feels that he needs to discover what he and his crew had seen. Finally, there’s Gary Sinise in an excellent performance as Jim McConnell as a widowed astronaut who works as a consultant until he is asked to take part despite his emotional baggage where he deals with the mission at hand as well as what is out there.
Mission to Mars is a very disappointing film from Brian De Palma. Despite its cast, some cool visual effects, and a mesmerizing score by Ennio Morricone, the film is just a sci-fi film that wants to be a lot of things only to end up being very lightweight in its ambitions. In the end, Mission to Mars is just a terrible film from Brian De Palma.
Brian De Palma Films: (Murder a la Mod) - (Greetings) - (The Wedding Party) - (Dionysus in ‘69) - (Hi, Mom!) - (Get to Know Your Rabbit) - Sisters - Phantom of the Paradise - Obsession - Carrie - The Fury - (Home Movies) - Dressed to Kill - Blow Out - Scarface - Body Double - (Wise Guys) - The Untouchables - Casualties of War - The Bonfire of the Vanities - Raising Cain - Carlito’s Way - Mission: Impossible - Snake Eyes - Femme Fatale - The Black Dahlia - (Redacted) - Passion (2012 film) - (Domino (2018 film))
© thevoid99 2016
Nostra of MyFilmViews has created a blog-a-thon based on the Lars von Trier-Jorgen Leth film The Five Obstructions. This blog-a-thon challenges various bloggers to write something under a specific guideline where if that blogger succeeds. That person can go to the next round but if that blogger fails, a punishment will happen. In Nostra’s blog-a-thon of the Five Obstructions
She has set a specific guideline one obstruction every month as here is the first obstruction:
For this first assignment, I will be reviewing a film that I know and love as I will be writing this review under a different persona who is far less intelligent and far less cultured than I am. Here is my review of Robert Zemeckis’ 1994 classic Forrest Gump:
Based on the best-selling novel by Winston Groom, Forrest Gump is the ludicrous story about an idiotic man with an IQ of 75 who stumbles into every situation by meeting the American president three times, being an All-American for Alabama, becoming a war hero, a multi-millionaire, and all sorts of things while pining for a slut named Jenny. Under the direction of Robert Zemeckis and screenplay by Eric Roth, the film is an overblown, Oscar-bait film that is extremely manipulative and sappy as its title character is led by Tom Hanks who goes all the way to go for that Oscar by playing a slow, dim-witted moron where he almost goes full-retard. Also starring Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Fields as Forrest’s mama. The film is nothing more than a piece-of-shit inspirational film that does nothing more than tug the heartstrings of the people and make them look just as stupid as Forrest.
Through Robert Zemeckis’ overly-calculating direction that aims to have this sweeping scope filled with lots of gorgeous scenery is overwrought in this story about an idiotic man who watches the world go buy as he would impact them. Yet, many of these situations under Zemeckis’ direction and Eric Roth’s screenplay is ridiculous as it’s all told by the titular protagonist who keeps talking about box of chocolates and his favorite book of all-time is Curious George. The fact that Forrest Gump meets three different U.S. Presidents, become a war hero, a multi-millionaire through the shrimp business and investing money in Apple Computers, being an All-American for Alabama is just ludicrous.
At the same time, Forrest is given dumb and heavy-handed messages from his mama like “stupid is as stupid does” and “life is like a box of chocolates” as he’s seen by most of the people he meets as an idiot. Then there’s the people he encounters in his journey like a black man with big gums named Bubba (Mykelti T. Williamson) who gets killed off nearly half-way into the film and Lt. Dan (Gary Sinise) who loses legs in the war and becomes a paraplegic Vietnam Vet who hates Forrest’s guts for saving him until he realizes the meaning of life. Yet, these characters are nothing compared to Forrest’s love interest Jenny (Robin Wright) who is essentially a liberal slut who goes from one trend to another and takes LSD in the 60s and cocaine in the 70s. She wants to be a folk singer but instead goes from one cause to another only to end up as a single-mother waitress whose child is none other than Forrest’s son as she later croaks due to AIDS.
Adding to the film’s overly-sappy tone is Alan Silvestri’s cheesy yet excruciating score that is filled with some of the most annoying melodies heard in film while its soundtrack is more of… “hey, there’s that song and there’s this song”. The Doors show a bunch of times while there’s a lot of music that is just there to play to a certain period in time yet there’s no music from the Beatles? What the hell?
The bottom line is this. Forrest Gump is an overrated and overblown film that wants to tug at people’s heartstring with Tom Hanks giving a totally blatant Oscar-bait performance as the titular character. It is a travesty in the art of film as it won too many Oscars where it really should’ve gone the best film of that year which is North by Rob Reiner. For anyone who thinks Forrest Gump is one of the best films ever made… Well then… fuck you and die!!!! Take that box of chocolates and shove it up your fucking ass!! "My name is Forrest Gump, people call me Forrest Gump". SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!
Editor’s Note: I actually love Forrest Gump for all of its mawkish cheesiness and sweeping visuals yet it’s got so much that I enjoy including its cast, music, and Zemeckis’ direction. Though I think Trois Couleurs: Blanc & Rouge, Chungking Express, Natural Born Killers, and Pulp Fiction were better films that came out that year. I still have love Forrest Gump and I always watch it whenever it’s on.
© thevoid99 2013
