Olhos de Serpente

A movie with excellent plot twists combined with outstanding camera work.

Most people didn't like this movie, from what I have heard and read over the years. Some of my friends who saw it didn't like it either. For some reason, I did, and that was despite a few things I normally don't put up with (too much usages of the Lord's name in vain and the usual anti-military agenda.)

However, I found this a very fast-moving, involving story with Nicholas Cage playing an extremely interesting person: "Rick Santoro," a guy who acts like a complete crazy man at the beginning but slowly gets it together as the film goes on. Gary Sinise plays his normal corrupt role (this was before his CSI: New York days) and Carla Gugino was very easy on my eyes.

Brian DePalma directed this, so you know it's going to be stylishly shot, too. This looks really, really good on the recently-released Blu-Ray.

All the characters are interesting, actually. One complaint I agree with: the ending was a bit weak and detracts from the story. It's a rough film but edgy and interesting. Don't be discouraged reading a lot of negative reviews about this. It's good entertainment.

Cage is a slick, crooked (and flamboyant) Atlantic City cop with dreams of making it to the big time. While attending a highly publicized boxing match with friend and Naval officer Sinise, he finds himself in the midst of a conspiracy after an important political figure is assassinated, and for the first time he decides to try and complete his job in honest fashion. Stylish but disappointing thriller begins with nifty camera work and has the makings of something really special, but once you get past all the fancy tricks there's really nothing left to hold your interest. Even worse, the film clearly suffers from some last minute edits. **

I love the awesome camera angles in the same take at different scenes within the movie throughout the boxing match. It feels so professional and some of the scenes are also tracking shots or long takes, but other cameras in the same scene are in close up later and with split screen editing. There's also this awesome camera angle panning as an overhead shot through apartment rooms in another sequence. The payoff of who the lead villian organizing the shootout in the audience is a little underwhelming and the ending credits linger on an outdoor location throughout for no need, but this is mostly so cool and gripping.

I saw this film for the first time the other day, and I was blown away! Not only is the story mysterious and compelling, but the techniques De Palma uses are amazing!

The first 12 and a half minutes is one big shot! That's incredible! And the split-screen sequence is very welcome, simply because the split-screen isn't used enough any more. As my brother, who watched the film with me, said, "The split-screen hasn't been used effectively since Wood-Stock!" I Agree with him. What a great film.

That being said, it isn't De Palma's best. That would probably be The Untouchables.