Snake Eyes – Kino Lorber (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

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: December 31st, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)

"Nicolas Cage plays Rick Santoro, a flamboyant Atlantic City police detective who’s come to watch the fight and cash in on the hectic betting action. Suddenly, gunfire cuts down a ringside government official, and 14,000 fans become 14,000 suspects. What eyewitnesses saw, what a casino-wide spycam network reveals and what a mysterious woman in white (Carla Gugino, Sin City) knows—all lead to a shattering truth Santoro does not want to believe." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 16bit 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative."

Snake Eyes comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 76.1 GB

Feature: 73.7 GB

This new transfer is a massive improvement over this film’s previous home media releases; the source looks excellent. The most notable area of improvement is color grading. This new transfer’s color grading is like watching the film for the first time. Flesh tones look healthy, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Snake Eyes comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.8 GB

Feature: 31.8 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. You can’t go wrong with either audio track; that said, the 5.1 audio track sounds outstanding. Dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and appropriately robust. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson. Though the audio commentary discusses the original ending, they only provide minimal information about it.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson.

Other extras on the Blu-ray disc include trailers for Face/Off, Dressed to Kill, Blown Away, Turbulence, Out of Sight, The Usual Suspects, and Ronin.

Other extras include a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

A corrupt police officer becomes entangled in the cover-up that follows the assassination of the secretary of defense.

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. Though his output over the last 25 years pales in comparison to the films he made from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, one film stands out: Snake Eyes.

Brian De Palma is one of the best American directors to work in the thriller 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. And when it comes to opening moments that hook you, few filmmakers deliver more than Brian De Palma. Snake Eyes opens big with a lengthy tracking shot, which follows the protagonist, introduces other characters, and culminates with an assassination. This exemplary sequence is a masterclass in building tension.

The opening tracking shot is just one of many visually arresting moments in Snake Eyes. In another standout moment, the ringleader behind the assassination is looking for the woman who can identify him. They put their ear to a door, and a crane shot gives an overhead view of several rooms. Another technique that Brian De Palma uses to great effect is split screen. Though known for his stylish visual set pieces, Brian De Palma is also a filmmaker who knows how to use sound; this is especially clear throughout Snake Eyes.

When it comes to the performances, all of the cast are great in their roles, especially Gary Sinise (Ransom), who portrays Commander Kevin Dunne, the childhood friend of Rick Santoro. There is a calmness to his performance that perfectly offsets Nicolas Cage’s performance. Another performance of note is Carla Gugino (Sin City) portrayal of Julia Costello, a government whistleblower who is now marked for death. Her character is the only one that you feel sorry for; everyone else in Snake Eyes is morally corrupt.

Headlining Snake Eyes Nicolas Cage (The Rock), who’s cast in the role of the protagonist Rick Santoro. Though he is known for his operatic performances, he really kicked things into high gear during this time of his career. That said, he delivers another scene-stealing performance that does not disappoint. Once again Brian De Palma puts together an extraordinary cast of secondary characters, including one of my all-time favorite character actors, Luis Guzmán (Carlito’s Way).

Modern cinema often relies on formulas or rehashes of successful formulas. Though a filmmaker like Brian De Palma is known for reusing things from the past, he does it in such a way that it feels new. When it comes to creating suspense and maintaining tension, Brian De Palma is among the best. That said, though Snake Eyes is not De Palma’s most perfect example of how to make a thriller, there are more than enough moments of brilliance in Snake Eyes that it is not difficult to forgive the things that just don’t gel. Ultimately, Snake Eyes is arguably Brian De Palma’s most underrated film.

Snake Eyes gets a solid audio/video presentation; highly recommended despite its lack of extras.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer