Smokin' Aces

Smokin' Aces is one of those movies you watch with your high school friends. It's got sexy women, guns, humor, rock music and explosions. It's like Jackass with guns. And a script.

The very first thing you'll notice about Smokin' Aces is the all-star cast which includes Ray Liota, Peter Berg, Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds, Jeremy Piven, Andy Garcia with the debut performances for musicians Alicia Keys and Common (Sir Ivy.) Once you past the Ocean's Eleven-esque cast you'll recognize the snazzy camera work and flashy music. By now you might be thinking that this is a Pulp Fiction kind of movie with witty dialogue, synchronized music and wild action-packed scenes. Well you're just about right.

Everything in this movie flies at you. The separate points of view include one of a bail bond's man and his associates, a group of ragtag mercenaries, one of two FBI agents, the other of a deranged assassin, another of a twisted gun for hire, another of two lesbian femme fatales and the last of the main target, Buddy Israel (Piven.) As you can see the plot can become very convoluted with all of the different interests involved. What's more is that the individual accounts are interconnected leading to many same place and the same time moments. Needless to say, this makes for a very intriguing script but may confuse some people.

The film does do a great job of foreshadowing the big hit. All of the accounts are explained in the beginning, each with their respective take on the whole mission, the stakes and more. Here is where the audience is enlightened of the whole situation and how it should play out. Nevertheless, things don't work out the way the characters want them too. Quickly you'll take sides or even make mental bets as to who gets the kill, at least that's what I did. Anyway, teh foreshadowing is done well and you're constantly awaiting the beginning of the hit and when it does finally begin you won't be disappointed. The bullets will fly.

Enough of the plot though. The script is fun which equals good. Meaning you can enjoy it and it's certainly entertaining.

Audio and visual in this film is where it should be. The general pop songs float in and out while the predictable rock anthems blare over the speakers during the bigger firefights. All of the guns sound authentic which could keep the guys happy. After all this film is full of testosterone so guns are a big part of it. You have your sniper rifles, shotguns, rifles and various pistols. Without sounding like your local black market dealer, I'll say this. You'll get scared when the firefights begin. The surround sound in the theater makes everything that much louder making the guns ring in your ears, permitted you are in a classy movie theater.

If you weren't aware by now, this film is very enjoyable and entertains on all levels. I've listed all of the bigger pros including guns, bullets, suggestive themes, sassy language etc. The acting isn't so bad either yet nothing stands out, maybe except for Jeremy Piven's convincing performance given his character's circumstances and tense situation. That's like giving Steve-O an Oscar for best supporting actor. Not gonna happen. Now for the cons of Smokin' Aces.

Smokin' Aces is highly illogical. The plot twists are slightly predictable not to mention that they lead up to a Saw-like ending which might satisfy some viewers. The plot is force fed to you leaving no room for true foreshadowing or suspense. Another annoying aspect is the use of melodramatic music when a character dies. If I wanted to watch a soap opera, I would have stayed home. Just try not to curse the director for trying to be sincere. In this type of fragfest, serenity is a no-no.

Either way the movie is still good and while not one for the Oscars, it's an action-packed man sausage fiesta. Bring your Cola, nachos, popcorn, as well as a spare bullet proof vest. You're going to need it.

Directed by	Joe Carnahan
Produced by	Tim Bevan Joe Carnahan Liza Chasin Eric Fellner
Written by	Joe Carnahan
Starring	Ben Affleck Andy Garcia Alicia Keys Ray Liotta Jeremy Piven Ryan Reynolds
Music by	Clint Mansell
Cinematography	Mauro Fiore
Editing by	Robert Frazen
Distributed by	Universal
Release date(s)	January 12, 2007 [1] January 26, 2007
Running time	108 min.
Language	English
Budget	$17,000,000