BADass SINema Unearthed - Blu-ray 4K UHD Review

“I’m on TV!  I’m on TV!”

Because we all love the scene-stealing LUNACY of a Cage-centered meltdown, especially when his character is named Rick Santoro!  Go, Tyler! Go, Tyler! Goooooooooo!  

Nic Cage might have won an Oscar for a very subtle performance in Leaving Las Vegas, but that’s ancient history.  And, honestly, it’s not really why we love and (dare I say) respect Cage as an actor.  I can’t be the only one who loves to see him lose his shit.  Like I said, we love the lunatic side of his persona and can usually bank on him LOSING HIS MIND on the screen in whatever B-type picture he stars in.  Those moments are EPIC dissolves that provide us glimpses at our own weaknesses and he’s good at handling those moments of sheer cheesiness.

Now, combine that with the B-movie mechanisms of Brian De Palma and you have the recipe for a movie that is probably going to be snubbed left and right due to its sheer INSANITY.  Behold, I give you Snake Eyes, which debuted in theaters almost 25 years ago.  Written by David Koepp, De Palma’s is a conspiracy thriller like few others due to the involvement of Cage as yet another corrupt police detective who finds himself in the middle of a political scandal involving fake airstrike results and a weak missile defense program.  

Oh, and there’s this boxing match that is the central gimmick in the movie which sees heavyweight champion Lincoln Tyler (Stan Shaw) throwing a match to help pay off his debts and Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise), who is a U.S. Navy Commander and best friend to Cage’s character, who - well - I don’t want to completely spoil the experience for you.  But, hey, it’s the 1990s so of course Gary Sinise is going to show up and do some UNEXPECTED things.  Surprise! Surprise!

This time, though, Cage lives and breathes like all the rest of the LOUNGE LIZARDS in Atlantic City and the movie, with some awesome cinematography from Stephen H. Burum and clever edits from editor Bill Pankow, is made all the better by his CRAZY performance.  It’s damn entertaining to see him operate like he actually owns every single piece and parcel in Atlantic City and the movie shimmies and shakes alongside him with unmatched FERVOR.

The plot hinges around an assination plot involving not one but two FEMME FATALES - the ruby wearing redhead named Serena (Jayne Heitmeyer) and the wig-wearing Julia Costello (Carla Gugino) - who BOTH catch Cage’s eye (and ours) and De Palma, who certainly knows his way around the archetype - succeeds in giving us a movie that is a definite roller coaster of unhinged Cage moments, mixed with long takes, splitscreens, and extortion.

Roll the bones!  Snake Eyes, now on blu-ray with a brand new coat of paint (thanks to a GREAT and IMPROVED transfer) and a digital code thanks to Paramount Pictures, hasn’t aged one bit!

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Available on Blu-ray - May 18, 2021
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; French: Dolby Digital 2.0Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Believe everything but your eyes!  A shady police detective finds himself in the middle of a murder conspiracy at an important boxing match in an Atlantic City casino. Back on blu-ray thanks to Paramount Pictures, Snake Eyes arrives with a NEW 1080p transfer digital code.

Video:

Remember the prior release of this film on blu-ray?  I hope not because it was unwatchable.  Paramount FINALLY improves this release thanks to the NEW transfer presented on Paramount/Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded blu-ray.  Everything sparkles like it should and, thanks to the fine details, scenes that were once completely trash - thanks to the DVD copy to Blu-ray - are now 100% better.  Black levels are strong.  Colors are vibrant.  Cage is greasy and slimy and the babes are banging!  What’s not to love about this film?

Audio:

Presented in lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, the sound is commanding as we move alongside Cage’s character in this thriller.  Everything rings true from the remembered cinematic experience.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

• Well, just the digital code is included but the NEW TRANSFER is appreciated!

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: R for some violence.
Runtime: 98 mins
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: David Koepp
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, John Heard
Genre: Crime | Thriller
Tagline: He's got 14,000 eyewitnesses and no one saw a thing.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Oh, Monique? Skinny, mean, expensive - I *LOVE* her!"
Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: August 7, 1998
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: May 18, 2021.
Synopsis: A shady police detective finds himself in the middle of a murder conspiracy at an important boxing match in an Atlantic City casino.