Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Snake Eyes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 4, 2025

Brian De Palma's "Snake Eyes" (1998) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Brian De Palma’s Snake Eyes hits the ground running, pretty fast, too. As its opening credits disappear, the camera frantically begins moving through a sea of people who have arrived in Atlantic City Arena for a highly anticipated boxing match and attempts to catch as many of their exchanges as possible. One is quickly left with the impression that there is chaos everywhere, overwhelming the camera, and that the many faces popping up in front of it are utterly random and instantly forgettable.

But this is one of many typical De Palma curveballs. The camera abruptly changes its strategy and chooses to stay with Rick Santoro (Nic Cage), a flamboyant, fast-talking police officer, dressed like a wise guy, who bumps into a drug dealer (Luis Guzman), a veteran turf accountant (Michael Rispolli), and even the boxing champ (Stan Shaw) everyone expects to be a winner again. Santoro is working tonight, but not as hard as he is working to ensure he also emerges a winner. He has collected cash from the drug dealer, placed a bet with the turf accountant, and blessed the boxing champ with a prayer. The boxing match tonight is almost a sure thing, and the rush of cashing in on it is sporadically making Santoro look like a junkie who has had his first proper fix in months.

Before the boxing match begins, Santoro bumps into Navy Commander Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise), an old friend, who is working tonight, too. Santoro’s old friend is in the venue to protect Secretary of Defense Charles Kirkland (Joel Fabiani), a lifelong boxing fan, who has arrived with a small crew of government employees. The two sit next to the high-profile visitor and shortly after the boxing match begins witness how a Palestinian terrorist kills him from afar. However, Santoro and Dunne’s points of view are different. Santoro realizes that the high-profile visitor is taken out moments after he is approached by a girl wearing a white wig (Julia Costello), who engages him and nearly gets hit by one of the terrorist’s bullets, too. Dunne is alarmed by a different, red-haired girl (Jayne Heitmeyer), sitting across the high-profile visitor alone, who refuses to show her ticket to him. When she runs away, Dunne ends up in the same area where the terrorist is and kills him as he exits his hiding spot.

In the ensuing mass panic, Santoro takes over, declares that all fourteen thousand visitors inside the venue are witnesses, and orders all exits closed until FBI agents arrive and decide how to proceed. Meanwhile, Dunne goes to work to track down the girl with the white wig, assuming that she has played a crucial role in the terrorist act.

Snake Eyes is more effective as a character study rather than a twisty thriller, but this is not to imply that it is an underwhelming film. It works very well. However, because it forces its characters to pursue and seriously ponder the value of redemption, an unusual development in a De Palma project, its tricks are managed differently.

The revealing of the complete puzzle that the terrorist act is a part of, which occurs in the middle of Snake Eyes, and the true motives of everyone who attempts to solve it, is the most consequential adjustment. In De Palma’s classic films, the revealing happens at the very end, usually moments before the final credits appear. This is when all masks fall off and all pieces of the puzzle are properly arranged. In Snake Eyes, the adjustment allows De Palma to shift the focus of attention to the transformation of its characters, virtually all of which exit the puzzle with different identities. So, there are still plenty of tricks, but their purpose is different.

Cage is really good as the crooked police officer who is abruptly forced out of his comfort zone and gradually transformed into a most unlikely hero. Sinese handles his part with authority, too. However, some of the supporting actors could have been given better material to work with. John Heard, for instance, is wasted playing a wealthy businessman with delusions of grandeur.

Snake Eyes was lensed by Stephen H. Burum, who has collaborated on several of De Palma’s iconic films, like Body Double and Mission: Impossible.

Snake Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Snake Eyes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release introduces a new 4K makeover of Snake Eyes sourced from the original camera negative, finalized at Paramount Pictures. The 4K makeover is also available on 4K Blu-ray.

The 4K makeover is an all-around excellent upgrade in quality over the previous presentation of the film on this Blu-ray release. I viewed the 4K makeover in native 4K, and also spent time with the 1080p presentation on the new Blu-ray release. I saw substantial improvements in quality in all major areas that we scrutinize in our reviews, all of which were every bit as impressive on Blu-ray. In fact, I prefer how several darker areas look in 1080p because darker nuances are marginally more convincing. Delineation, sharpness, and depth are outstanding, so if you have a large screen, the strength of the new 4K makeover becomes undeniable. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Color grading is terrific. All primaries and supporting nuances are very healthy and perfectly set. Areas where primary blue becomes prominent are flat-out gorgeous. There are no stability issues. The entire film looks immaculate as well. All in all, after it was redone in 4K, Snake Eyes looks sensational on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray, so if it is one of your favorite films, do not hesitate to upgrade. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Snake Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed Snake Eyes in its entirety on 4K Blu-ray and later spent time with the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray. The comments below are from our review of the 4K Blu-ray release.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. I think that it is outstanding. Snake Eyes has a lot of dynamic material, with plenty of excellent sound effects and surround movement that the 5.1 track handles with great authority. It probably helps that virtually the entire film takes place inside the big venue, but I think that 5.1 track is mastered really well and is an all-around winner.

Snake Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Snake Eyes. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Snake Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The new 4K makeover of Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes is a jaw-dropper. The party at Paramount that prepared it did everything right, so now the film looks incredible on Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray. I wanted the 4K makeover to be a nice upgrade in quality, but what I saw on my system exceeded all expectations I had, and there were quite a few. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.