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)
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Lighthearted mob drama follows a Vegas funnyman who turns snitch against some heavyweight mobsters and needs protecting. Buddy 'Sarah Aces' Israel (Jeremy Piven) is a comedic Vegas magician who has informed on an important mobster. The call goes in from the mobster that a million bucks goes to anyone who cuts Buddy's heart out and the FBI intercept the call. Aces is put under the protection of agents Carruthers and Messner (Ray Liotta and Ryan Reynolds) who squirrel the magician away in his own Tahoe retreat. Pretty soon there ain't a hotel room to be had in Tahoe as a parade of hit men, bounty hunters and, generally, a rogues' gallery of miscreants descend, locked in the chase to be the one to off the corrupt conjurer. Aces is soon wishing he could disappear up his own sleeve and the two hapless agents are no way prepared for an onslaught of this level. (Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (8)
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%.
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On one hand, it's unnecessarily long and drawn out, yet on the other hand, there are excellent acting performances (led by the cool Ben Affleck), great individual scenes, excellent action, and disarming stylization. What is unforgivable, however, is the weak story that is so piecemeal that it is a) impossible to navigate and b) almost completely unengaging. Carnahan has talent but it would be better if he made movies based on screenplays by someone else.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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