Snake Eyes (1998)

Spoilers Ahead:

Yes, I concur, the film has the feature that dooms any movie including Stanley Kubrick's only bomb: THE KILLING. When will directors figure out that temporal streaming or showing the movie from each individuals point of view then trying to tie them all together is an utter disaster. MOMENTO, VANTAGE POINT both suffered from the same fatal flaw. This is still a great movie. It has great moral depth like all of the master Brian De Palma's works. I love two images in this movie. When Rick sees the money on the floor covered in blood, he finally gets it. He understands the price that is paid for that money. What a piece of work, a handful of geniuses could use visuals like that: Leone, Kubrick and Hitch. The other when bleeding from the mouth Rick flings blood on Kevin's medals, see the anger of Kevin's face, yes that is how you got those. What intelligence in the use of imagery to save whole pages of boring dialogue. Also, in an amoral, decadent age it is quite wise to be cryptic. You are not allowed to be openly moral with pagan atavists.

You want to know the theme of the movie? Cage recites it at the end of the movie to Julia; he tells her hundreds of years ago pirates put lights on those rocks to lure ships to their doom. Then they would run out kill them and steal their goods. Rick says the only thing that has changed is that the lights are brighter. De Palma is always attacked for his sex and violence but his films are deeply moral. Everyone remember the black angel of death looming over Nancy Allen's head in BLOW OUT. She had caused another's death and had to be punished. Same with DRESSED TO KILL, watch the innocent little girl stare at Angie Dickinson before she is killed; her promiscuity sealed her doom. De Palma always is deeply moral beneath all the sex and violence like his master: Hitch. Here Kevin's patriotism will not save him from his impending doom, we watch as his masterful planning and meticulous using of people, including Rick, falls apart before his eyes.

Like Hitch, immoral people are punished by the hand of God, through deadly fate. Things just go apart on them. He was so sure Rick was venal beyond redemption; he never understood that, like many slightly evil people, they like the damage done to their advantage carefully kept out of sight. Rick knows what Kevin is saying is true; he knew all his corruption would come out and he would be destroyed but he stammers: I NEVER KILLED ANYONE BEFORE. Kevin tries to reassure him, just do what you do best, look the other way I will take care of it. This is when DePalma has Rick stare at the money soaked in blood upon the floor. What a work of art!!! Yes, I took three stars off for the temporal juxtaposition that wrecks what could have been another BLOW OUT. If you want to see a deeply moral, fast moving, exciting, suspenseful film made by one of our greatest directors, Brian De Palma, watch this movie. Hitch would have loved this movie.