Our Flick of the Week is “Snake Eyes,” a film that succeeds primarily on the strength and charisma of its actors, which is worthy of note because the film was directed by the stylish Brian De Palma, who is rarely upstaged by his actors.
Nicolas Cage stars as a detective who joins forces with his best friend, a Navy security officer, played by the increasingly impressive Gary Sinise, to investigate the assassination of the U.S. secretary of defense during a boxing match in Atlantic City.
Sinise had been assigned to guard the secretary, and immediately Cage suspects a conspiracy.
The story of “Snake Eyes” doesn’t really add up to much, even when the honesty of the main characters is questioned. No, the strength of the film lies in the performances of Cage and Sinise.
Backstage at the 1996 Oscars, Cage, who had just been named Best Actor for “Leaving Las Vegas,” talked about plans for the next chapter in his career, in which he would be tempted by big salaries and lighter-weight scripts.
He said he would do big-money action pictures but would try to bring a new sensibility to leading men in those roles. He has done so in such films as “The Rock,” “Con Air” and “Face/Off,” playing heroes who are off-the-wall and even a little goofy. Sinise looks as though he bulked up for this role — or maybe it’s the officer’s uniform — and that gives him a stature that allows him to better compete with Cage’s energy. “Snake Eyes” gets a recommendation from me on the basis of their talents. Rated R. (star) (star) (star)
– BUFFALO ’66. Vincent Gallo stars in, co-writes and directs “Buffalo ’66,” the unconventional story of an ex-con who wants to masquerade as a normal married man. The truth, however, is that he belongs to one of the most dysfunctional families put on film in quite some time. Anjelica Huston, as good an actress as we have, plays his mother, and Ben Gazzara, in a role that reminds us of his best work with John Cassavetes, plays his father. The title refers to the family’s obsession with the Buffalo Bills football team, which explains why, instead of family photos, they keep pictures of Jack Kemp and O.J. Simpson on their counter. Christina Ricci plays the young woman Gallo kidnaps to play his wife, and in this role, Ricci displays an ongoing maturity for an actress who began her film career as a child member of the Addams Family. Wacky and original describe “Buffalo ’66.” R. (star) (star) (star)
– HALLOWEEN H20 Twenty years and a handful of forgettable sequels later, here comes the definitive sequel, which again places Jamie Lee Curtis on the defensive from her knife-wielding, maniacal brother. The original film was truly terrifying. I remember taking a cab home from the theater because I was too scared to walk. I lived only three blocks away. I could walk away from this one, which doesn’t break any new ground in its attack scenes. Only Curtis sustains our interest, more as a curio than as a character. R. (star) (star) 1/2
– = New this week