Snake Eyes – Paramount Pictures (Blu-ray/Digital)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1998
Director: Brian De Palma
Writers: Brian De Palma, David Koepp
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, John Heard, Carla Gugino, Stan Shaw, Kevin Dunn, Michael Rispoli, Joel Fabiani, Luis Guzmán, David Anthony Higgins, Mike Starr, Tamara Tunie

Release Date: May 18th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Stereo French, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $22.98

"A shady police detective finds himself in the middle of a murder conspiracy at an important boxing match in an Atlantic City casino." - IMDB

Video: 4/5

Snake Eyes comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.4 GB

Feature: 21.1 GB

This release uses the same source that Paramount pervious used for their 2013 Blu-ray release. Overall though this is a recycled transfer it holds up well eight years later.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in French and a Dolby Digital stereo mix in Spanish. The DTS-HD 5.1 track is a solid mix that takes full advantage of the sound spectrum. Included with this release are removable English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

Extras are limited to a trailer for Snake Eyes (2 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo English).

Summary:

Though Brian De Palma often gets criticized for copying Alfred Hitchcock. Over the of his seven decade career he’s amassed an impressive resume that’s highlighted by films like Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Scarface and Carlito’s Way. That said, though his output over the last twenty-five years pales in comparison to the films he made from the 1970’s through the mid-1990’s. One film that does standout from this later period is Snake Eyes, a film that’s arguably Brian De Palma’s most underrated film.

When it comes to thrillers Brian De Palma is arguably one of the best American directors to work in this genre. When watching a Brian De Palma film visuals always play a significant role and with Snake Eyes he once again delivers strong visuals that enhance the story. With the opening moments featuring a lengthy track shot that follows the protagonist in the moments before the murder occurs. Another area where Snake Eyes excels is its use of sound. That said, Snake Eyes gets a strong audio/video presentation that’s unfortunately lacking when it comes to extra content.

Written by Michael Den Boer