The Movie
Smokin’ Aces is a vastly underrated film, in my very humble (and very handsome) opinion, an action film featuring a giant ensemble cast (including Ben Afflect, pre-Kirk Chris Pine, Jason Bateman, and loads more) and a plot that takes so many twists and turns that are both excellent and completely ridiculous (in a good way) at the same time. The general gist of the film is this: Buddy Israel (Jeremy Piven, in one of his few good movie roles) is a drug-addled Las Vegas performer who has decided to testify against the Sparazza mob family, to whom he has ties. In retaliation, the family puts a one million dollar bounty on Israel’s head, which brings out hitmen from all different walks of life looking to collect. FBI agents Messner (Ryan Reynolds) and Carruthers (Ray Liotta) attempt to get there in time to stop this from happening, but there is more than meets the eye with the whole situation.
Simply put, it’s a fun B movie, an action film with a great cast and a decent budget behind it. The greatness lies in the bounty hunters themselves; they each have their own personality and their own look and their own quirks. They are defined, and you know how each of them works. It’s almost like The Warriors in a sense, but more based in reality. Everyone does a great job in the film, with Reynolds completely shining in the lead role. We all know how badass he is now, but back then he was still barely getting roles in movies that weren’t of the romantic comedy variety. He takes this role and runs with it, playing an FBI agent better than most actors ever do. Andy Garcia, who plays Messner and Carruthers’ boss Stanley Locke, is perfectly slimy, but he also sports a Southern accent that would have been better left off-screen.
The action is excellent, and you find yourself glued to the screen, eager to find out who will get the one million dollar bounty, or if they will even get the chance to. When things eventually hit the fan, it’s bloody, it’s hectic, and it’s completely engaging.
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Article comments
1 - El Bicho
This review vastly overrates this film.
2 - Jonathan Sullivan
Overrates...or OVERrates?!?
...
That didn't help my cause.
3 - Matt Paprocki
"but I’m sure it’s not an artistic choice."
Grain isn't added as part of the transfer process. It's there because this was shot on film, and according to IMDB, it was done in Super35, which also increases the grain level on the source.
You could be confusing that with noise or artifacting, I haven't seen this one on Blu, but I can be pretty positive the guys dong the transfer work didn't add grain.
4 - Jonathan Sullivan
Right on. This is my one and only Blu review haha, as you can tell I'm not really well read on specifics. I prefer to watch the movie, not discuss the look and sound system and all the other nonsense.