Arrow Video has just announced an all-new remastered 4K Uhd release of Al Pacino‘s gritty crime drama with his former Scarface director Brian De Palma. Carlito’s Way is scheduled to hit the streets with this new special edition on September 26. The details for product are listed below.
Arrow Video description:
Academy Award winner Al Pacino reunites with his Scarface director Brian De Palma for this tough-minded thriller about a gangster looking for salvation down the mean streets of 1970s New York City. Gangster Carlito Brigante (Pacino) gets released early from prison thanks to the work of his lawyer, Kleinfeld. Vowing to go straight, Carlito nonetheless finds dangers waiting for him in the outside world. As Carlito works toward redemption, Kleinfeld sinks into cocaine-fuelled corruption. When Kleinfeld crosses the mob, Carlito gets caught in the crossfire and has to face a hard choice: remain loyal to the friend who...
Arrow Video description:
Academy Award winner Al Pacino reunites with his Scarface director Brian De Palma for this tough-minded thriller about a gangster looking for salvation down the mean streets of 1970s New York City. Gangster Carlito Brigante (Pacino) gets released early from prison thanks to the work of his lawyer, Kleinfeld. Vowing to go straight, Carlito nonetheless finds dangers waiting for him in the outside world. As Carlito works toward redemption, Kleinfeld sinks into cocaine-fuelled corruption. When Kleinfeld crosses the mob, Carlito gets caught in the crossfire and has to face a hard choice: remain loyal to the friend who...
- 6/30/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Considering how long I’ve been writing this editorial series, it’s wild that this is the first entry tackling Brian De Palma. While there’s a history of contentious reactions to his works (primarily from feminists in the 70s and 80s who accused him of misogyny for his often brutal treatment of female characters), aside from Adrian Lyne, De Palma is easily one of the most significant directors to work on mainstream Erotic Thrillers.
Body Double is a solid entry in his filmography. It is also incredibly representative of his filmmaking interests in that it focuses on doubles, deep focus/split screens, Hitchcockian themes of obsession, sex and voyeurism, and, finally, a mystery murder that is more complicated than it initially appears.
For first time viewers, it might be surprising to learn that star Melanie Griffith does not appear until well past the one hour mark, after her doppelgänger,...
Body Double is a solid entry in his filmography. It is also incredibly representative of his filmmaking interests in that it focuses on doubles, deep focus/split screens, Hitchcockian themes of obsession, sex and voyeurism, and, finally, a mystery murder that is more complicated than it initially appears.
For first time viewers, it might be surprising to learn that star Melanie Griffith does not appear until well past the one hour mark, after her doppelgänger,...
- 4/20/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
This big screen, big star crowd-pleaser is a whopping entertainment yet too disjointed to satisfy as a gangster movie. It can ignore history to make its points, but what is gained by killing off the only characters we really love? Audiences didn’t feel shortchanged: Sean Connery and Robert De Niro deliver strong characterizations and Ennio Morricone’s music is ideal. Brian De Palma’s visual instincts are at full strength too; the show is marvelous to look at. It’s a real winner, at least when its not running in knee-jerk Scarface overkill mode.
The Untouchables 4K
4K Ultra HD + Digital
Paramount
1987 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 119 min. / Street Date May 31, 2022 / Available from Amazon / 25.99
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Richard Bradford, Jack Kehoe, Brad Sullivan, Billy Drago, Patricia Clarkson, Steven Goldstein, Del Close, Clifton James.
Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum
Art Director: William A.
The Untouchables 4K
4K Ultra HD + Digital
Paramount
1987 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 119 min. / Street Date May 31, 2022 / Available from Amazon / 25.99
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Richard Bradford, Jack Kehoe, Brad Sullivan, Billy Drago, Patricia Clarkson, Steven Goldstein, Del Close, Clifton James.
Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum
Art Director: William A.
- 6/4/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Casualties of War
Blu-ray – Region B
Explosive Media
1992/ 2:35:1 / 113 Min. / Street Date December 1, 2016
Starring Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn
Cinematography by Stephen Burum
Written by David Rabe
Music by Ennio Morricone
Edited by Bill Pankow
Produced by Fred C. Caruso, Art Linson
Directed by Brian De Palma
In 1969 The New Yorker published a detailed exposé by Daniel Lang concerning four soldiers deployed in the Phu My district of Vietnam who abducted a young woman and raped her repeatedly over the course of the next 24 hours. The following day, fearing discovery by incoming American helicopters, the sergeant in command of the squad ordered her killed.
There was a fifth soldier traveling with that crew, Max Erickson, the only man in Lang’s reporting with anything resembling a moral compass, who observed the actions of his sidekicks with a mix of helplessness and horror. His accusations lead to courts martial...
Blu-ray – Region B
Explosive Media
1992/ 2:35:1 / 113 Min. / Street Date December 1, 2016
Starring Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn
Cinematography by Stephen Burum
Written by David Rabe
Music by Ennio Morricone
Edited by Bill Pankow
Produced by Fred C. Caruso, Art Linson
Directed by Brian De Palma
In 1969 The New Yorker published a detailed exposé by Daniel Lang concerning four soldiers deployed in the Phu My district of Vietnam who abducted a young woman and raped her repeatedly over the course of the next 24 hours. The following day, fearing discovery by incoming American helicopters, the sergeant in command of the squad ordered her killed.
There was a fifth soldier traveling with that crew, Max Erickson, the only man in Lang’s reporting with anything resembling a moral compass, who observed the actions of his sidekicks with a mix of helplessness and horror. His accusations lead to courts martial...
- 12/9/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
In the weeks leading up to Snake Eyes’ release in August of 1998, my dad and I had gone together to see Lethal Weapon 4, There’s Something About Mary and The Negotiator. Both action titles were forgettable fare, but were a big deal upon release. (Riggs and Murtaugh vs. Jet Li! Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey conversing via walkie-talkie!) Brian De Palma‘s Snake Eyes with dad was the next order of business. The theater was packed because adults frequented the multiplexes not so long ago. You’re all of 10 years old, Nicolas Cage’s recent output – The Rock, Con Air, and Face/Off — has been terrific, and something seemed off with this new one. You remember leaving the theater not disappointed, but with little to discuss with dad on the ride home. Dad passed away in 2013, long after the Gary Sinise villain era and a few years before...
- 8/18/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first TV spot for Max, a family action adventure from writer/director Boaz Yakin (“Remember the Titans), starring Josh Wiggins, Lauren Graham and Thomas Haden Church.
Blake Shelton’s special version of “Forever Young” from the Max Movie soundtrack is now available on iTunes! Get it now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/forever-young-single/id998028981
A precision-trained military dog, Max serves on the frontlines in Afghanistan alongside his handler, U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott. But when things go terribly wrong on maneuvers, Kyle is mortally wounded and Max, traumatized by the loss of his best friend, is unable to remain in service.
Sent stateside, the only human he seems willing to connect with is Kyle’s teenage brother, Justin, so Max is saved when he is adopted by Kyle’s family. But Justin has issues of his own, including living up to his father’s expectations,...
Blake Shelton’s special version of “Forever Young” from the Max Movie soundtrack is now available on iTunes! Get it now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/forever-young-single/id998028981
A precision-trained military dog, Max serves on the frontlines in Afghanistan alongside his handler, U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott. But when things go terribly wrong on maneuvers, Kyle is mortally wounded and Max, traumatized by the loss of his best friend, is unable to remain in service.
Sent stateside, the only human he seems willing to connect with is Kyle’s teenage brother, Justin, so Max is saved when he is adopted by Kyle’s family. But Justin has issues of his own, including living up to his father’s expectations,...
- 6/3/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“The nose of a dog, the heart of a Marine – sounds like a Hero to me.”
Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM have released the first trailer and poster for the upcoming family drama Max.
A military working dog Max returns from service in Afghanistan after his handler’s death. He’s adopted by the man’s family to help the grieving family heal.
Have your tissues ready.
A precision-trained military dog, Max serves on the frontlines in Afghanistan, alongside his handler, U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott. But when things go terribly wrong on maneuvers, Kyle is mortally wounded and Max, traumatized by the loss of his best friend, is unable to remain in service.
Shipped stateside, the only human he seems willing to connect with is Kyle’s teenage brother, Justin, so Max is adopted by Kyle’s family, essentially saving his life. But Justin has issues of his own,...
Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM have released the first trailer and poster for the upcoming family drama Max.
A military working dog Max returns from service in Afghanistan after his handler’s death. He’s adopted by the man’s family to help the grieving family heal.
Have your tissues ready.
A precision-trained military dog, Max serves on the frontlines in Afghanistan, alongside his handler, U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott. But when things go terribly wrong on maneuvers, Kyle is mortally wounded and Max, traumatized by the loss of his best friend, is unable to remain in service.
Shipped stateside, the only human he seems willing to connect with is Kyle’s teenage brother, Justin, so Max is adopted by Kyle’s family, essentially saving his life. But Justin has issues of his own,...
- 3/18/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Editfest, a weekend seminar focusing on the craft and business of editing, which first took place last year in Los Angeles, is expanding to New York, where it will take place Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13 at the Directors Guild of America at 110 W. 57th Street.
American Cinema Editors and Manhattan Edit Workshop are co-producing the two-day event.
"One of Ace's highest priorities is to help educate and mentor the next generation of editors," Ace president Randy Roberts said. "Editfest is a unique opportunity for attendees to spend time with some of the most accomplished editors working in film and television today."
Confirmed panelists include: Michael Berenbaum; Scott Brock; Robert Eisenhardt; Ken Eluto; Alexander Hall; Tom Haneke; Brian Kates; Anne McCabe; Craig McKay; Bill Pankow; Lee Percy; Sam Pollard; Jay Rabinowitz; Meg Reticker; Stephen Rotter; Kate Sanford; Karen Schmeer; Larry Silk; Tim Squyres; Kate Sanford; Thelma Schoonmaker; Troy Takaki; Chris...
American Cinema Editors and Manhattan Edit Workshop are co-producing the two-day event.
"One of Ace's highest priorities is to help educate and mentor the next generation of editors," Ace president Randy Roberts said. "Editfest is a unique opportunity for attendees to spend time with some of the most accomplished editors working in film and television today."
Confirmed panelists include: Michael Berenbaum; Scott Brock; Robert Eisenhardt; Ken Eluto; Alexander Hall; Tom Haneke; Brian Kates; Anne McCabe; Craig McKay; Bill Pankow; Lee Percy; Sam Pollard; Jay Rabinowitz; Meg Reticker; Stephen Rotter; Kate Sanford; Karen Schmeer; Larry Silk; Tim Squyres; Kate Sanford; Thelma Schoonmaker; Troy Takaki; Chris...
Back in the day, before Dallas Austin became a red-hot record producer, with Madonna, TLC, Pink and Brandy among his many clients, he got an early taste of the music business as a high school band drummer in his hometown of Atlanta.
That experience provides the inspiration for "Drumline", a thoroughly enjoyable portrait of the highly precise preparation that goes into the making of a competitive show marching band.
It's formula all the way. Basically, if you've seen "Remember the Titans", "Save the Last Dance" and "Fame", you get the picture. But it's done with such spirit and care -- from the writing to the casting to the direction -- that it's pretty difficult to resist the film's freshly choreographed charm.
Based on audience response at a preview screening, Fox should be on sleeper alert. Not only will "Drumline" have no trouble doing "Barbershop"-style word-of-mouth business, but it could also demonstrate some nice crossover potential beyond its targeted young urban demo.
Nick Cannon, star of his eponymous Nickelodeon series, makes an assured feature debut as Devon Miles, a self-confident young hip-hop drummer from Harlem who has won a full music scholarship to Atlanta A&T University.
Talented but undisciplined, Devon's in for a rude awakening from Day One as he discovers his new school is run like band boot camp, presided over by the exacting, old-school Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones).
Devon also manages to engage in a divisive game of one-upmanship with the resentful Sean Taylor (Leonard Roberts), a senior class band member who ultimately outs Devon as being musically illiterate.
Will Devon get his act together in time to earn a spot on the drumline and make it to the Big Southern Classic? Will he learn to check his ego and get in sync with Dr. Lee's "One band, one sound" credo?
While the answers are obvious, the talent on both sides of the camera infuse this patented underdog tale with an infectious energy.
The writing, credited to Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps, is bright and uncluttered.
Director Charles Stone III ("Paid in Full") keeps everything moving briskly and propulsively, and the entire cast -- which also includes Zoe Saldana as Devon's principled girlfriend and comedian J. Anthony Brown as a colorful rival bandleader -- are in perfect character pitch.
As for the music, those who'd cringe at the prospect of marching band renditions of Jackson 5 and Earth, Wind & Fire songs will be in for a pleasant surprise, thanks to "Drumline"'s rhythmic precision and imaginative choreography.
Who knows? "Drumline" might even end up doing for marching band enrollment what "Top Gun" did for Navy recruitment.
DRUMLINE
20th Century Fox
Fox 2000 Pictures presents a Wendy Finerman production
Credits: Director: Charles Stone III; Screenwriters: Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps; Story: Shawn Schepps; Producers: Wendy Finerman, Timothy M. Bourne, Jody Gerson; Executive producers: Dallas Austin, Greg Mooradian; Director of photography: Shane Hurlbut; Production designer: Charles C. Bennett; Editors: Bill Pankow, Patricia Bowers; Costume designer: Salvador Perez; Music: John Powell; Executive music producer: Dallas Austin; Casting: Aleta Chappelle. Cast: Devon: Nick Cannon; Laila: Zoe Saldana; Dr. Lee: Orlando Jones; Sean: Leonard Roberts; Jayson: GQ; Ernest: Jason Weaver; Charles: Earl C. Poitier; Mr. Wade: J. Anthony Brown.
MPAA Rating PG-13, Running time 118 minutes...
That experience provides the inspiration for "Drumline", a thoroughly enjoyable portrait of the highly precise preparation that goes into the making of a competitive show marching band.
It's formula all the way. Basically, if you've seen "Remember the Titans", "Save the Last Dance" and "Fame", you get the picture. But it's done with such spirit and care -- from the writing to the casting to the direction -- that it's pretty difficult to resist the film's freshly choreographed charm.
Based on audience response at a preview screening, Fox should be on sleeper alert. Not only will "Drumline" have no trouble doing "Barbershop"-style word-of-mouth business, but it could also demonstrate some nice crossover potential beyond its targeted young urban demo.
Nick Cannon, star of his eponymous Nickelodeon series, makes an assured feature debut as Devon Miles, a self-confident young hip-hop drummer from Harlem who has won a full music scholarship to Atlanta A&T University.
Talented but undisciplined, Devon's in for a rude awakening from Day One as he discovers his new school is run like band boot camp, presided over by the exacting, old-school Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones).
Devon also manages to engage in a divisive game of one-upmanship with the resentful Sean Taylor (Leonard Roberts), a senior class band member who ultimately outs Devon as being musically illiterate.
Will Devon get his act together in time to earn a spot on the drumline and make it to the Big Southern Classic? Will he learn to check his ego and get in sync with Dr. Lee's "One band, one sound" credo?
While the answers are obvious, the talent on both sides of the camera infuse this patented underdog tale with an infectious energy.
The writing, credited to Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps, is bright and uncluttered.
Director Charles Stone III ("Paid in Full") keeps everything moving briskly and propulsively, and the entire cast -- which also includes Zoe Saldana as Devon's principled girlfriend and comedian J. Anthony Brown as a colorful rival bandleader -- are in perfect character pitch.
As for the music, those who'd cringe at the prospect of marching band renditions of Jackson 5 and Earth, Wind & Fire songs will be in for a pleasant surprise, thanks to "Drumline"'s rhythmic precision and imaginative choreography.
Who knows? "Drumline" might even end up doing for marching band enrollment what "Top Gun" did for Navy recruitment.
DRUMLINE
20th Century Fox
Fox 2000 Pictures presents a Wendy Finerman production
Credits: Director: Charles Stone III; Screenwriters: Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps; Story: Shawn Schepps; Producers: Wendy Finerman, Timothy M. Bourne, Jody Gerson; Executive producers: Dallas Austin, Greg Mooradian; Director of photography: Shane Hurlbut; Production designer: Charles C. Bennett; Editors: Bill Pankow, Patricia Bowers; Costume designer: Salvador Perez; Music: John Powell; Executive music producer: Dallas Austin; Casting: Aleta Chappelle. Cast: Devon: Nick Cannon; Laila: Zoe Saldana; Dr. Lee: Orlando Jones; Sean: Leonard Roberts; Jayson: GQ; Ernest: Jason Weaver; Charles: Earl C. Poitier; Mr. Wade: J. Anthony Brown.
MPAA Rating PG-13, Running time 118 minutes...
- 12/9/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. -- "The Tic Code" should click with family audiences starved for stories about kids and parents who nourish and help each other, enjoying life and overcoming personal obstacles.
A winner of an Audience Award and Special Recognition Award at the sixth annual Hamptons International Film Festival, this indie hearkens to the preformulaic days when filmmakers told personal stories that went way beyond the transparent seams of showing off for Hollywood bigwigs.
Starring Christopher George Marquette as Miles, a 12-year-old with a gift for jazz piano who suffers from Tourette's syndrome, "The Tic Code" is a story about one boy trying to connect with the outside world through his special gift while overcoming the downside of his talents, a troubling disease that no one seems to understand.
Tourette's is an affliction that causes its victim to develop stuttering and facial tics as well as to voice uncontrollable hostile and inappropriate comments. It allows the person to have less rigid self-censoring control and be more creative, but it can cause great social problems and pain.
Far more lively and less schematic than the standard disease-of-the-week scenario, "Tic" bursts with riffs of energy and vitality as young Miles comes to bond with a professional saxophonist, Tyrone (Gregory Hines), who also has Tourette's. In Polly Draper's sensitive but robust scenario, the story takes place on many levels: it's a story of personal struggle and a story of relationships and family.
Best, "Tic" is no glossy, superficial feel-good saga artificially sweetened with dramatic contrivance or excessive sentiment. That quality is in no small measure because of the grainy and full-dimensional performances, particularly the one from young Marquette, whose manner and spunkiness are utterly unaffected.
We see him as a real kid, one whom we care about. Similarly, Hines' turn as the cool-cat musician is nicely fleshed with believable insecurities and vanities. In short, these are realistic portrayals of individuals that not only ring true but win our affection and respect.
Credit director Gary Winick for a frothy mix of lifelike tones. Winick never allows the story to dissolve into schmaltz or wallow in atonal sap, a misstep often taken by directors working within this genre. Technical contributions are bright and sharp: Production designer Rick Butler's sense of everyday particularities and, most impressively, composer Michael Wolff's glistening score -- enlivened by richly diminished chord work -- are most impressive.
THE TIC CODE
Producers: Polly Draper, Michael Wolff, Karen Tangora
Director: Gary Winick
Screenwriter: Polly Draper
Director of photography: Wolfgang Held
Production designer: Rick Butler
Editors: Bill Pankow, Kate Sanford, Henk Van Eeghan
Music: Michael Wolff
Color/stereo
Cast:
Miles: Christopher George Marquette
Tyrone: Gregory Hines
Mom: Polly Draper
Desmond: Desmond Robertson
Running time -- 89 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
A winner of an Audience Award and Special Recognition Award at the sixth annual Hamptons International Film Festival, this indie hearkens to the preformulaic days when filmmakers told personal stories that went way beyond the transparent seams of showing off for Hollywood bigwigs.
Starring Christopher George Marquette as Miles, a 12-year-old with a gift for jazz piano who suffers from Tourette's syndrome, "The Tic Code" is a story about one boy trying to connect with the outside world through his special gift while overcoming the downside of his talents, a troubling disease that no one seems to understand.
Tourette's is an affliction that causes its victim to develop stuttering and facial tics as well as to voice uncontrollable hostile and inappropriate comments. It allows the person to have less rigid self-censoring control and be more creative, but it can cause great social problems and pain.
Far more lively and less schematic than the standard disease-of-the-week scenario, "Tic" bursts with riffs of energy and vitality as young Miles comes to bond with a professional saxophonist, Tyrone (Gregory Hines), who also has Tourette's. In Polly Draper's sensitive but robust scenario, the story takes place on many levels: it's a story of personal struggle and a story of relationships and family.
Best, "Tic" is no glossy, superficial feel-good saga artificially sweetened with dramatic contrivance or excessive sentiment. That quality is in no small measure because of the grainy and full-dimensional performances, particularly the one from young Marquette, whose manner and spunkiness are utterly unaffected.
We see him as a real kid, one whom we care about. Similarly, Hines' turn as the cool-cat musician is nicely fleshed with believable insecurities and vanities. In short, these are realistic portrayals of individuals that not only ring true but win our affection and respect.
Credit director Gary Winick for a frothy mix of lifelike tones. Winick never allows the story to dissolve into schmaltz or wallow in atonal sap, a misstep often taken by directors working within this genre. Technical contributions are bright and sharp: Production designer Rick Butler's sense of everyday particularities and, most impressively, composer Michael Wolff's glistening score -- enlivened by richly diminished chord work -- are most impressive.
THE TIC CODE
Producers: Polly Draper, Michael Wolff, Karen Tangora
Director: Gary Winick
Screenwriter: Polly Draper
Director of photography: Wolfgang Held
Production designer: Rick Butler
Editors: Bill Pankow, Kate Sanford, Henk Van Eeghan
Music: Michael Wolff
Color/stereo
Cast:
Miles: Christopher George Marquette
Tyrone: Gregory Hines
Mom: Polly Draper
Desmond: Desmond Robertson
Running time -- 89 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/21/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Brian De Palma brings his impressive bag of technical tricks to the craps table for "Snake Eyes", an otherwise unremarkable, decidedly ungripping suspense thriller set against the sleazy backdrop of Atlantic City gambling.
While the veteran filmmaker is in fine form, all the visual dazzle in the world can't gloss over the spoken drivel that pours from the picture's hackneyed script, even with actors as good as Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinise attempting to breathe some life into the tired cliches.
Given Cage's current hit streak, "Snake Eyes" should draw some initial business but likely will not emerge as a boxoffice high roller.
Things kick off promisingly enough with an extended set-up sequence orchestrated as a continuous Steadicam shot following wheeler-dealer Atlantic City detective-on-the-take Rick Santoro (Cage) making the rounds before a pay-per-view heavyweight boxing match.
Joining him is his old buddy, naval Cmdr. Kevin Dunne (Sinise), a seeming pillar of virtue who in his current job is responsible for the security of the Secretary of Defense (Joel Fabiani), who's attending the bout.
The inevitable shots ring out, the defense secretary is assassinated and the arena is sealed as 14,000 fans become possible suspects and witnesses.
Dunne becomes discredited and Santoro takes charge of the subsequent investigation. Slowly, he begins to unravel the tangle of evidence, presented in multiple-viewpoint "Rashomon" style, that points to a nasty little conspiracy.
The trademark De Palma touches abound -- the continuous, painstakingly choreographed shots, the split-screen sequences, the visual Hitchcock quotes, the scantily-clad females -- with a few fresh flourishes added to the mix. The impressive opening aside, there's also a clever overhead pan of the interiors of adjoining hotel rooms that neatly evokes the surreal artificiality of the whole casino environment.
But as much as he attempts to dress up David Koepp's script, De Palma still can't take it anywhere. Koepp, who collaborated with De Palma on "Mission: Impossible" and "Carlito's Way", contributes more of a blueprint for De Palma's fancy footwork than a three-dimensional screenplay. Everything feels warmed-over and lazily derivative. The characters seem to be there only to spout plot exposition rather than to exchange any actual, personality-defining dialogue.
As a result, most efforts made by the actors to elevate the material end up taking them very close to over-the-top, particularly Cage and Sinise.
Most of De Palma's assembled technical staff have worked together many times, including director of photography Stephen H. Burum and editor Bill Pankow. Their work here, along with production designer Anne Pritchard and costume designer Odette Gadoury, is, as usual, undeniably eye-catching.
SNAKE EYES
Paramount Pictures
A DeBart production
A Brian De Palma film
Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: David Koepp
Story: Brian De Palma & David Koepp
Executive producer: Louis A. Stroller
Director of photography: Stephen H. Burum
Production designer: Anne Pritchard
Editor: Bill Pankow
Costume designer: Odette Gadoury
Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Casting: Mary Colquhoun
Color/stereo
Cast:
Rick: Nicolas Cage
Kevin: Gary Sinise
Julia Costello: Carla Gugino
Gilbert Powell: John Heard
Lincoln Tyler: Stan Shaw
Lou Logan: Kevin Dunn
Jimmy George: Michael Rispoli
Charles Kirkland: Joel Fabiani
Ned Campbell: David Anthony Higgins
Mickey Alter: Chip Zien
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
While the veteran filmmaker is in fine form, all the visual dazzle in the world can't gloss over the spoken drivel that pours from the picture's hackneyed script, even with actors as good as Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinise attempting to breathe some life into the tired cliches.
Given Cage's current hit streak, "Snake Eyes" should draw some initial business but likely will not emerge as a boxoffice high roller.
Things kick off promisingly enough with an extended set-up sequence orchestrated as a continuous Steadicam shot following wheeler-dealer Atlantic City detective-on-the-take Rick Santoro (Cage) making the rounds before a pay-per-view heavyweight boxing match.
Joining him is his old buddy, naval Cmdr. Kevin Dunne (Sinise), a seeming pillar of virtue who in his current job is responsible for the security of the Secretary of Defense (Joel Fabiani), who's attending the bout.
The inevitable shots ring out, the defense secretary is assassinated and the arena is sealed as 14,000 fans become possible suspects and witnesses.
Dunne becomes discredited and Santoro takes charge of the subsequent investigation. Slowly, he begins to unravel the tangle of evidence, presented in multiple-viewpoint "Rashomon" style, that points to a nasty little conspiracy.
The trademark De Palma touches abound -- the continuous, painstakingly choreographed shots, the split-screen sequences, the visual Hitchcock quotes, the scantily-clad females -- with a few fresh flourishes added to the mix. The impressive opening aside, there's also a clever overhead pan of the interiors of adjoining hotel rooms that neatly evokes the surreal artificiality of the whole casino environment.
But as much as he attempts to dress up David Koepp's script, De Palma still can't take it anywhere. Koepp, who collaborated with De Palma on "Mission: Impossible" and "Carlito's Way", contributes more of a blueprint for De Palma's fancy footwork than a three-dimensional screenplay. Everything feels warmed-over and lazily derivative. The characters seem to be there only to spout plot exposition rather than to exchange any actual, personality-defining dialogue.
As a result, most efforts made by the actors to elevate the material end up taking them very close to over-the-top, particularly Cage and Sinise.
Most of De Palma's assembled technical staff have worked together many times, including director of photography Stephen H. Burum and editor Bill Pankow. Their work here, along with production designer Anne Pritchard and costume designer Odette Gadoury, is, as usual, undeniably eye-catching.
SNAKE EYES
Paramount Pictures
A DeBart production
A Brian De Palma film
Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: David Koepp
Story: Brian De Palma & David Koepp
Executive producer: Louis A. Stroller
Director of photography: Stephen H. Burum
Production designer: Anne Pritchard
Editor: Bill Pankow
Costume designer: Odette Gadoury
Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Casting: Mary Colquhoun
Color/stereo
Cast:
Rick: Nicolas Cage
Kevin: Gary Sinise
Julia Costello: Carla Gugino
Gilbert Powell: John Heard
Lincoln Tyler: Stan Shaw
Lou Logan: Kevin Dunn
Jimmy George: Michael Rispoli
Charles Kirkland: Joel Fabiani
Ned Campbell: David Anthony Higgins
Mickey Alter: Chip Zien
Running time -- 99 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Badly in need of more humor and humanity, like that found in his best Hong Kong features, Tsui Hark's long-awaited big-budget debut "Double Team" is doubly problematic.
Beyond a few sequences with some of the Hark magic and the formidable presence of NBA superstar Dennis Rodman, the Columbia Pictures release is not exactly an airball, but it bounces around the rim and finally fails to go in.
The track record of emergent Hong Kong filmmakers working with Jean-Claude Van Damme and producer Moshe Diamant is anything but inspiring -- John Woo's "Hard Target" and Ringo Lam's "Maximum Risk" were both tepidly received by fans and failed to generate much heat in the marketplace. The same will happen to "Double Team", although action-film devotees might pump up the opening-weekend numbers.
Hark has made some of the finest Hong Kong features of the past 20-odd years ("Peking Opera Blues", "Once Upon a Time in China"), and he's been involved with more than 50 features as director, producer, writer and/or actor.
But Hark struggles with the material here, and Van Damme plays another cold, barely articulate hero. There is a halfhearted attempt to personalize the mayhem, with Van Damme's crack counterterrorist on the verge of retirement and looking forward to quieter days with his wife (Natacha Lindinger).
"Double Team" tips off with a big chase scene as Quinn (Van Damme) drives a "super truck" with stolen plutonium through and over numerous obstacles. Not long after, by the pool with his pregnant mate, Quinn is called upon to vanquish a ruthless international terrorist and is told: "You can't retire until he dies".
This perfunctory setup leads to an early showdown with said terrorist Stavros (Mickey Rourke) at an amusement park, after Quinn visits a funky arms dealer played by Rodman. In the elaborate firefight with Stavros, the villain's wife and child are killed and Quinn is nearly blown to bits. The bad guy lives on and the good guy is sent to the Colony, a think tank/prison for spies who are removed from active service but deemed too dangerous to be left alone in the world.
Unhappy with the turn of events -- his wife thinks he's dead and she's vulnerable to Stavros' revenge -- Quinn sets out to escape from the Colony. He accomplishes this by hitching a ride on a C-130 cargo plane in a wild sequence that's arguably the best in the film. Hooking up again with Rodman's character, the duo agree that the "best defense is offense."
Jokes alluding to basketball and Rodman's colorful costumes and comic asides are the extent of the film's stabs at humor.
DOUBLE TEAM
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures and
Mandalay Entertainment present
a Moshe Diamant production
a One Story Pictures production
a Tsui Hark film
Director Tsui Hark
Producer Moshe Diamant
Writers Don Jakoby, Paul Mones
Exec producers Don Jakoby, David Rodgers
Co-producers Rick Nathanson, Nansun Shi
Director of photography Peter Pau
Editor Bill Pankow
Production designer Marek Dobrowolski
Music Gary Chang
Costume designer Magali Guidasci
Casting Penny Perry, Illana Diamant
Color/stereo
Cast:
Quinn Jean-Claude Van Damme
Yaz Dennis Rodman
Stavros Mickey Rourke
Goldsmythe Paul Freeman
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Beyond a few sequences with some of the Hark magic and the formidable presence of NBA superstar Dennis Rodman, the Columbia Pictures release is not exactly an airball, but it bounces around the rim and finally fails to go in.
The track record of emergent Hong Kong filmmakers working with Jean-Claude Van Damme and producer Moshe Diamant is anything but inspiring -- John Woo's "Hard Target" and Ringo Lam's "Maximum Risk" were both tepidly received by fans and failed to generate much heat in the marketplace. The same will happen to "Double Team", although action-film devotees might pump up the opening-weekend numbers.
Hark has made some of the finest Hong Kong features of the past 20-odd years ("Peking Opera Blues", "Once Upon a Time in China"), and he's been involved with more than 50 features as director, producer, writer and/or actor.
But Hark struggles with the material here, and Van Damme plays another cold, barely articulate hero. There is a halfhearted attempt to personalize the mayhem, with Van Damme's crack counterterrorist on the verge of retirement and looking forward to quieter days with his wife (Natacha Lindinger).
"Double Team" tips off with a big chase scene as Quinn (Van Damme) drives a "super truck" with stolen plutonium through and over numerous obstacles. Not long after, by the pool with his pregnant mate, Quinn is called upon to vanquish a ruthless international terrorist and is told: "You can't retire until he dies".
This perfunctory setup leads to an early showdown with said terrorist Stavros (Mickey Rourke) at an amusement park, after Quinn visits a funky arms dealer played by Rodman. In the elaborate firefight with Stavros, the villain's wife and child are killed and Quinn is nearly blown to bits. The bad guy lives on and the good guy is sent to the Colony, a think tank/prison for spies who are removed from active service but deemed too dangerous to be left alone in the world.
Unhappy with the turn of events -- his wife thinks he's dead and she's vulnerable to Stavros' revenge -- Quinn sets out to escape from the Colony. He accomplishes this by hitching a ride on a C-130 cargo plane in a wild sequence that's arguably the best in the film. Hooking up again with Rodman's character, the duo agree that the "best defense is offense."
Jokes alluding to basketball and Rodman's colorful costumes and comic asides are the extent of the film's stabs at humor.
DOUBLE TEAM
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures and
Mandalay Entertainment present
a Moshe Diamant production
a One Story Pictures production
a Tsui Hark film
Director Tsui Hark
Producer Moshe Diamant
Writers Don Jakoby, Paul Mones
Exec producers Don Jakoby, David Rodgers
Co-producers Rick Nathanson, Nansun Shi
Director of photography Peter Pau
Editor Bill Pankow
Production designer Marek Dobrowolski
Music Gary Chang
Costume designer Magali Guidasci
Casting Penny Perry, Illana Diamant
Color/stereo
Cast:
Quinn Jean-Claude Van Damme
Yaz Dennis Rodman
Stavros Mickey Rourke
Goldsmythe Paul Freeman
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
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