Snake Eyes - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Snake Eyes or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Snake Eyes

[marc]

The ringside drunk says, "Here comes the pain," a line also spoken in another Brian De Palma film, Carlito's Way (1993).

[tom]

Will Smith was originally set to play the role later taken by Gary Sinise. Paramount balked at Smith's $12 million asking price.

[sandra]

According to Kevin Dunn, the fact that Gary Sinise's character was named "Kevin Dunne" caused confusion between the two actors. According to Dunn, much to his surprise, he was given a penthouse suite in a fancy hotel to stay in during filming. The crew realized that they had accidentally given Sinise's suite to Dunn. Dunn had to leave and stayed at a hotel chain.

[lonnie]

The opening 20 minute Steadicam sequence is not really one continuous shot - there are numerous hidden edits. At least 12 minutes of the sequence was done in one take.

[ethel]

The original ending, which was a massive special effects sequence created by Industrial Light and Magic, involved a huge tidal wave going through the casino. This ending was cut out in post-production. Numerous references to it still remain in the final film; a shot near the end of the film shows an ambulance driving down an oceanside road with a wave about to crash into it before the film cuts to another shot, Nicolas Cage's character talks about almost drowning at the very end of the film, and references to a storm are made throughout the entire film, which were all meant to build up to the action-packed climax that was cut out.

[bryan]

Will Smith turned down the role of Commander Kevin Dunne to star in another conspiracy thriller that was also released that year, Enemy of the State (1998) which Smith starred as a lawyer whom finds himself hunted by NSA agents when he finds himself caught up in a conspiracy when he falls into possession of videotape containing footage of the assassination of a politician whom refused to support the Telecommunications Security and Privacy act.

[nicholas]

(at around 24 mins) Rick Santoro seemingly refused to politely address the boxer Lincoln Tyler as "Mr. Tyler". Santoro replies, "I'll call him Mr. T! The night he beat Rocky Balboa, if he wants." He refers to the movie Rocky III (1982), directed by Sylvester Stallone and starring Stallone himself as the titular character, in which Rocky fights Mr. T's character Clubber Lang. In reality, Stan Shaw, who played Lincoln Tyler, have also starred with Stallone in the 1996 disaster movie Daylight (1996), where Shaw played a cop entrapped inside a damaged tunnel and Stallone played a former EMS chief who attempts to rescue all the entrapped people from the tunnel.

[veronica]

Al Pacino turned down the role of Commander Kevin Dunne.

[steve]

Gilbert Powell is based on Donald Trump.

[ruby]

(at around 1h 29 mins) The mayor who presents the award at the end of the film is played by the real mayor of Atlantic City, Jim Whelan.

[morris]

Brian De Palma's second film set in Atlantic City, the first being Wise Guys (1986).

[violet]

(at around 8 mins) When Commander Dunne (a naval officer) shows Santoro the tracking device. Santoro calls Dunne "007". An obvious nod to James Bond. In the James Bond spy novels by Ian Fleming, James Bond was a Commander in the British Royal Navy before becoming a spy.

[lonnie]

There are similarities between this movie and Mission: Impossible (1996). Both movies are directed by Brian De Palma and written by David Koepp. The villains in the films, Kevin Dunne and Jim Phelps are involved in a conspiracy and they betray and set up their friends Rick Santoro and Ethan Hunt, who find out the shocking truth of the conspiracy and who are the heroes of the stories. Both of them get knocked out in a fight by their friends and get back up. The outcome of the endings are Kevin Dunne commits suicide after being caught by the cops red handed trying to murder a whistle blower and Santoro stops him, Santoro is declared a hero but has a downfall because of his police corruption and goes to jail. Jim Phelps gets blown up along with his getaway helicopter and Ethan Hunt is cleared and goes back to work in IMF.

[richard]

(at around 1h 18 mins) There's only one f word in the film and it's said by Nicolas Cage.