Parents' Guide to Snake Eyes

This 1998 thriller has Brian De Palma at his flashiest and most frustrating. Snake Eyes is so obsessed with unraveling its mystery and the purpose of its characters that it forgets to be entertaining. What could have been a deliciously campy, over-the-top noir ends up too convoluted for its own good, especially with a storm subplot that feels like it belongs in a different movie. Nicolas Cage, though, is worth the ticket. He goes all in as Rick Santoro, decked out in loud prints and swagger, yet never tipping into parody and caricature. He's compellingly watchable in every scene, keeping the movie alive even when the plot sags under its own twists.

De Palma's signature style is dazzling, and there are long, elaborate tracking shots, split perspectives, and a breathtaking overhead casino sequence that's a technical marvel. The problem is that the story those shots frame just isn't that compelling. Instead of building genuine suspense or moral ambiguity, the film undercuts itself with a neatly packaged ending that feels false. You're left wishing it leaned harder into the chaos, or at least embraced its campiness. Teenagers are unlikely to find it fun, and adults may find it ridiculous, though Cage completists and De Palma devotees will find elements worth savoring.