Inside the Viral Nicolas Cage 'Snake Eyes' Conspiracy About the Murder of Charlie Kirk
The core of the theory centers on the film's plot
The murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the motives of his alleged killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, have unleashed conspiracy theories since day one. However, none of them seems as surprising as the one connecting the crime with the 1998 Nicolas Cage thriller "Snake Eyes."
In claims viralized across social media this week, users argued there are uncanny overlaps in character names, dates, and locations between the murder and the movie, directed by Brian de Palma.
The core of the theory centers on the film's plot. In "Snake Eyes," a U.S. secretary of defense named Charles Kirkland is assassinated during a prizefight in Atlantic City. Users point to the similarity between "Charles Kirkland" and "Charles James Kirk," Charlie Kirk's full name, and note that the movie victim is shot in the neck, which appears similar to where Kirk was struck. These details have driven the phrase "predictive programming" into trend lists.
Online posts add a second alleged link through names around the ring. In the film, the boxer who takes a dive as shots ring out is named Lincoln Tyler. Which internet conspiracy theorists have related to the name of Tyler Robinson, becoming another building block for believers. Some users also claim the fictional fight is set on September 10, the same date as Kirk's killing at Utah Valley University, although no authoritative production source confirms an on-screen date in the film.
The theory has expanded to include Trump-era iconography. Part of Snake Eyes was filmed at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, and a mogul character, Gilbert Powell, has long been described in film trivia as Trump-like. Since Kirk was a prominent ally of Donald Trump, some posters frame the overlap as meaningful, again without evidence that it bears on the investigation.
@youwontbelievemeofficial In a 1998 movie snake eyes, a politician named Charlie Kirkland was shot in the neck on September 10th… how is this even possible
♬ Suspense, horror, piano and music box - takaya
Written by David Koepp and produced also by Di Palma, "Snake Eyes" was released by Paramount on August 7, 1998. Cage's Rick Santoro is a flamboyant Atlantic City detective who witnesses the assassination of U.S. Defense Secretary Charles Kirkland during a title fight. Key cast includes Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino, John Heard, Stan Shaw, Kevin Dunn, Michael Rispoli, Joel Fabiani, Luis Guzmán, David Anthony Higgins, Mike Starr, Tamara Tunie, Chip Zien, Jayne Heitmeyer, and others. The score is by Ryuichi Sakamoto, with cinematography by Stephen H. Burum and editing by Bill Pankow.
Production used extensive sets and the Montreal Forum, with two weeks of location work in Atlantic City, including the Taj Mahal, now Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
The film is famous for its bravura opening, designed to play as an unbroken Steadicam sequence of roughly 13 minutes, with cleverly hidden edits that guide viewers from backstage corridors to the boxing ring as the plot detonates.
De Palma originally planned a different climax, a storm-driven tidal wave that would rip through the casino. The effects-heavy ending was shot, then replaced in post, though storm references and brief imagery remain, a quirk that continues to fascinate fans and scholars.
The movie grossed about $104 million worldwide and drew mixed reviews, praised for style and staging, debated for story choices.
Originally published on Latin Times
