The US Secretary of Defense is assassinated in full view of a huge audience gathered in an Atlantic City casino for a boxing championship. Can supercharged detective Nicolas Cage use his own recollections and those of key witnesses to find out whodunnit and unravel an ever-widening conspiracy? Although a stunning visual tour de force by director Brian De Palma (a virtuoso opening sequence, split screens, acrobatic cameras, the replaying of interconnected events from different angles and perspectives), this jigsaw murder mystery lacks suspense and disappoints as a thriller, with the expected slam-bang finale never materialising. Die-hard De Palma fanatics will love it, but others may think it's over-directed and rather pointless.

All bets are off when shady homicide cop Rick Santoro witnesses a murder during a boxing match. Determined to solve the crime, he quickly learns that his search for answers will only uncover yet more questions in an ever-widening web of conspiracy, intrigue, and danger.