‘Snake Eyes’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan

What It Covers

Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan analyze Brian De Palma's 1998 thriller Snake Eyes, examining Nicolas Cage's performance, the film's technical achievements including its famous 12-minute opening shot, and how late-90s action cinema differs from today's filmmaking.

Key Questions Answered

• •De Palma's Technical Mastery: The opening sequence uses a 12-minute steadicam shot through a boxing arena that appears continuous but contains four hidden cuts. De Palma achieved this by having actors pass in front of the camera at strategic moments, requiring precise staging and coordination with hundreds of extras to create the illusion of one unbroken take.
• •Cage's Career Trajectory: Between 1996-1999, Cage transitioned from Oscar-winning dramatic actor to action star with The Rock, Face Off, Con Air, and Snake Eyes. This shift represented a deliberate choice to play morally ambiguous characters with baggage rather than traditional heroes, establishing a unique screen persona that mixed sleaze with charisma in ways few actors could replicate.
• •The Tidal Wave Ending: The film originally concluded with a tidal wave sequence created by Industrial Light and Magic that was cut in post-production. De Palma removed it believing the movie was about intrigue rather than spectacle, but the existing film builds toward this climax for 90 minutes without payoff, creating a deflated conclusion that weakens the overall narrative structure.
• •Late-90s Filmmaking Economics: Snake Eyes had a $73 million budget and made $103 million, representing an era when mid-budget thrillers with movie stars could succeed theatrically. This business model disappeared after 2000, as studios shifted away from original adult-oriented action films toward franchises and streaming content, fundamentally changing what gets greenlit.
• •Character Actor Ecosystem: The film features Louis Guzman, Stan Shaw, John Heard, Mike Starr, Kevin Dunn, and Michael Rispoli in supporting roles, representing a 1990s ecosystem of working character actors who could elevate material. This tier of recognizable supporting players has largely migrated to television, as mid-budget theatrical films no longer provide consistent employment for this talent level.