Directed by:
Joe CarnahanScreenplay:
Joe CarnahanCinematography:
Mauro FioreComposer:
Clint MansellCast:
Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Alex Rocco, Wayne Newton, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Martin Henderson, Common, Andy Garcia, Mike Falkow, Alicia Keys (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Slick Las Vegas illusionist Buddy "Aces" Israel isn't playing nice. Turns out, he's telling mob secrets to the FBI. After a $1 million contract is put out on him, Aces tries to pull his greatest disappearing act before a rogues' gallery of ex-cons, hit men and smokin' hot assassins tries to rub him out. (official distributor synopsis)
Videos (3)
Reviews (8)
My opinion of this film hasn’t changed even after all those years since I saw it for the first time. Joe Carnahan seemed like a schizophrenic - while a part of him wrote and directed quality action scenes and managed to add a good dose of humor to this crime thriller, the other part added many illogicalities, unnecessary dialogue and an inner struggle of the goody-goody main character. But I must say that the role of a puppet was the best I've seen from Ben Affleck so far.
()
Smokin’ Aces is essentially just another variation on the music-video-inspired crime flick in the style of Guy Ritchie that won’t surprise you with anything new. However, the adrenaline-fuelled dynamics and the exposition of the bad guys are at a high level, and if the film had a slightly slower build-up with a more thorough introduction of the characters, the bloodbath climax could have not only faked BIG EMOTIONS, but actually evoked them. And then it would rank among the better gangster cult movies. Joe Carnahan’s slapdash dramaturgy weakens the impression that the film makes as a whole and leaves “only” the visual/editing treats (something similar could perhaps be said about the first Kill Bill, but that film has the benefit of Tarantino’s more original concept).
()
When someone tries to be above it all, inventive, and original, it doesn't always work out. Once a more capable screenwriter writes Joe Carnahan a good, action-packed script with lifelike characters, there will be a great chance of creating a fantastic action film (all hail The A-Team). However, as long as the director writes self-indulgent, intertwined stories with a disgusting excess of characters, the audience will only receive the divine action without a more meaningful plot. There are several major plotholes in the script that, even though I am usually tolerant of action crime movies, scream very loudly. The main one is undoubtedly the fact that although Buddy seemingly has reliable protection around him, he often remains alone and vulnerable. I also disliked the deliberately exaggerated endurance of the bullet-ridden heroes who keep breathing even with a magazine in their body. Despite countless characters in the movie, there is only one you can identify with better – the tough and determined agent portrayed by the fantastic and charismatic Ryan Reynolds. The rest are heartless bureaucrats, tough black women, or even perverted neo-Nazis. Reynolds is responsible for the best non-action moment of the film – a stylish and badass ending, thanks to which the taste of the film remains much better than it deserves.
()
Watching the film, I felt like I was on a roller coaster - my sympathies alternated between 4 and 2 stars, meaning that this film is simply inconsistent. It was probably supposed to be a film in the style of Guy Ritchie's crazy gangster films, but it differs from his famous hits in that it doesn't stick to the style - simply put, the script fluctuates between crazy style with insanely cool characters and serious situations. The script is just such a strange mishmash, where a guy shot by automatic weapons, who looks like he'll be lying in the hospital for a few months, stands in front of a hotel with a bandaged hand in a few hours and is clearly inclined to have a stylish chat with his killer. That is exactly what doesn't sit well with me in films of this kind and why I eventually decided on a lower rating. However, the direction is stylishly energetic and quite skillful, which helps overshadow the problematic script. Overall impression: 45%.
()
Director Carnahan beat screenwriter Carnahan in a short sprint by several lengths. The first two acts are an audiovisual ride with some fresh ideas, in the style of Ritchie's best flicks, but towards the end, the engine of the sports car stutters in such a way that it parks in a garage with a sign saying "Reynolds' Fateful Drama" and slowly dies there. If they had let the sports car go past the finish line and not stepped on the brake, it would have been worth four medals.
()
Ads