In "Snake Eyes," a suspense thriller produced and directed by Brian De Palma, tarnished Atlantic City police detective Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage) joins his old friend, Navy Commander Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise), now a highly-placed Department of Defense staffer working with the U.S. Secretary of Defense, at a heavyweight boxing match. When Dunne's back is turned, the Secretary is assassinated and 14,000 fight fans become suspects, possible accomplices, and witnesses. The arena is sealed as the murder investigation begins. Temporarily in charge and seeking to salvage his friend's career, Rick joins forces with Dunne to untangle the events preceding the assassination.

Battling time and with limited manpower, Rick seeks answers from three witnesses: Julia Costello (Carla Gugino), a mysterious woman who spoke to the Secretary just before he was shot and then disappeared into the crowd; Lincoln Tyler (Stan Shaw), the heavyweight champion who lost the fight; and Kevin Dunne himself, who was suspiciously drawn away from his post moments before the shots rang out. The events leading up to the assassination are replayed by the memories of each of the three witnesses, and as Rick puts the puzzle pieces together, he uncovers an intricate conspiracy. The burden of this knowledge forces Rick to come face to face with his own questionable past.

The sequence follows the action from outside the boardwalk, where a storm is brewing, into the Atlantic City Arena, where a packed house crowd assembles to watch the fight of the year. Against a backdrop of thousands of fans, the camera follows Santoro making his way through the arena. Through corridors, up flights of stairs, down an escalator with the heavyweight champ and his entourage, and onto the floor of the arena, the camera stays with Santoro, who seems to know everyone.