In association with

Smokin' Aces [2006]
from Universal Pictures UK
starring Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Alicia Keys, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven

Features:

• Anamorphic
• PAL

Editorial Review:

A frantic and frequently amusing cocktail of Tarantino cool and Hong Kong bullet ballet, Joe (Narc) Carnahan's Smokin' Aces delivers some inspired moments of action and dark comedy in its dizzying-comic book plot about a rogue's gallery of killers on the hunt for a mob informer. At the core of Carnahan's bloody shaggy-dog tale is Buddy Israel (Jeremy Piven, offering a more desperate take on his standard hustler persona), a Vegas magician who's turned informant against the mobsters who have treated him as their personal entertainment. Wishing to close Buddy's overactive mouth permanently, the mob capo puts a bounty on the two-bit showman's head, and a horde of hitmen descends on Buddy's digs to claim the prize.

The unholy crew of gunmen offer the movie's most inspired (and outlandish) moments, with R&B singer Alicia Keys (as a cool, Foxy Brown-esque assassin), Nestor Carbonell (as a torture-minded sadist), Ben Affleck and Peter Berg (low-key bail bondsmen) and Chris Pine (the leader of a trio of semi-savage brothers) among the more memorable villains. Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, and Andy Garcia represent the other side of the coin as FBI agents determined to get to Buddy before the legion of doom, and the clashes between both factions produce some eye-popping gunplay. If there's any complaint to be made about Smokin' Aces, it's that the tone shifts between action-drama and hipster comedy feel forced (Carnahan struck a firmer balance between the two in his 1998 indie effort, Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane), but the performances and shootout set pieces, as well as Carnahan's hyperactive camera work, do much to make those transitions palatable. Eagle-eyed audience members will note the presence veteran scene stealers Curtis Armstrong (Ray), David Proval (The Sopranos), and Alex Rocco (The Godfather's Moe Green) in supporting roles. -- Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 2.5 / 5.0

• Good fun Action Flick
  Its just a good fun movie. Easy to watch. Very funny.
  Ok, this is not "Casino Royale" or "Goodfellas". But it's the kind of fun you get from a movie like "Crank". Strong clichéd characters (yes, I think that's a good thing), great shooting scenes and a solid pace to the all plot.
  I'm even going to say an heresy: it reminds me Tarantino! It clearly doesn't deserve the 3 stars rating that's getting now here on amazon. Its better than that. Of course, if your looking for a Visconti here... more info

• Take off your clever hat for a while and enjoy.
  If you where I expecting a deep mobster story (like Road to pedition) then you will be disapointed, but if all you wanted was film to get your adrenaline pumping and some crazyely well directed gun fights then this is a film for you.
  Although it is a bit slow to start up and the gun fights do end rather abrupdly it still keeps the story (in so far as there is one) going at a good pace and with an ending that you could probaly guess if you still have your clever hat on (but i thought i told you to... more info

• good romping fun
  entertaining shoot em up full of extreme violence and shoot outs, this will pass the time well enough

• Dont buy this film
  I cant really talk. I bought this film the day it was released and i wasted £15.00. I put the dvd on and after 5 minutes of watching i switched it off!!! I have made several attempts to watch it but the beginning is just so boring... I dont actually no what happens, but its nothing like oceans eleven or tweleve. So save your money.

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