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Amazon.co.uk 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
Synopsis
Fresh from his success with Entourage, Jeremy Piven gives his career a further boost by taking the lead role in director Joe Carnahan's (Narc) fast-paced thriller, Smoking Aces. Piven plays Buddy 'Aces' Israel, a former Vegas performer who has holed up in the penthouse suite of a Lake Tahoe casino after what seems like half the planet decides they want him dead. The reason for this bloodlust stems from Israel's dalliances with the mob, who have put a $1 million price tag on his head after discovering he is about to tell all to the feds. The only people who don't want to put a premature end to Israel's life are two FBI agents, played by Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta, and their boss, Andy Garcia. As various assassins attempt to put an end to Israel's pitiful existence, a parade of celebrity cameos ensues, including Alicia Keys, Common, Ben Affleck, and Jason Bateman. Carnahan soaks the screen with vivid primary colours, lots of flashy set pieces, and plenty of guns and violence as his movie thunders from one explosive scene to the next. The shooting style, script, and acting are all highly indebted to Quentin Tarantino's early works, and the impressive ensemble cast will ensure plenty of Pulp Fiction comparisons. Standout performances come courtesy of Piven and Liotta, with the former revelling in a character surrounded by burly bodyguards, cheap hookers, and a blizzard of cocaine as he sweats and paces around his penthouse hideout, ultimately awaiting either freedom or death as the movie nears its spectacular finale.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film is wild,crazy,gory and brilliant. For me the array of characters is very watchable, at first i disliked the 3 neo nazis but grew to like them, Ray Liotta and Ryan Reyonlds are great and so is alicia keys.
This is one to watch with your mates around for a bit of a laugh and gore.
loved it 5/5
This is one to watch with your mates around for a bit of a laugh and gore.
loved it 5/5
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Even though there are some scathing reviews here I actually thought `Smokin' Aces' was not that bad. OK, it is pretty mindless stuff, but it doesn't try to be anything high brow or intellectual. It is marketed as a guns blazing, mob related film and that is exactly what it is. Buddy `Aces' Israel is under police protection and the Mob take out a million dollar bounty on his life. Numerous unscrupulous characters fight their way to be the one to take the bounty and much gun toting and violence ensues. There is a good cast here, with many well known names and all act decently; there is nothing worthy of an Oscar, but nothing truly cringe making either. There is a slight twist in the tale and although I guessed it half way through, it still made for an interesting way to end the film. If taken at face value this film has plenty to keep you watching and entertained and although it isn't ground breaking or exceptional film making, it isn't dire either. A solid and respectable 3 stars.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
MAIN FEATURE:
VIDEO: 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.35:1
AUDIO:
DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1
DTS Surround: French 5.1, Italian 5.1, German 5.1, Spanish 5.1
SUBTITLES: English SDH, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Greek, Korean, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Complex Mandarin
SPECIAL FEATURES:
VIDEO: 480i/p Standard Definition
AUDIO: English Dolby Digital 2.0
EAN: 5050582740349
ASIN: B002TXB370
VIDEO: 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.35:1
AUDIO:
DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1
DTS Surround: French 5.1, Italian 5.1, German 5.1, Spanish 5.1
SUBTITLES: English SDH, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Greek, Korean, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Complex Mandarin
SPECIAL FEATURES:
VIDEO: 480i/p Standard Definition
AUDIO: English Dolby Digital 2.0
EAN: 5050582740349
ASIN: B002TXB370
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
"..A BLAST OF A MOVIE.."
If you love gunplay, action and violence and massive shootouts and hot women then look no further because this film has them all. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. Drury
Smokin Movie!!!!!!!!!!!
A great film and unlike it's sequel has good actors, plot and action and is put together well and is well worth the good price for a good nite in!!
Published 14 months ago by Sam Todd
Highly entertaining and fabulous cast and storyline
I am surprised to see such a low rating from other customers, as I was totally blown away the first time I watched this film. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Louise Roberts
Pretty bad movie
I find it hard to believe anybody could like this movie because it's bored me silly. Me and my friend who watched this together both found it very unentertaining. Read more
Published on 14 May 2010 by Valen's Shadow
Terrible
What a ridiculously terrible film. Rubbish acting, even worse plot. I want my money back!
Published on 31 Jan 2010 by PureSymmetry
Not a bad movie after all...
I don't understand why most people dislike this movie so much...
Maybe because of their high expectations. Read more
Maybe because of their high expectations. Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2009 by Yann Scholtes
I Cant belief all the negativity
I,m full of the cold and feeling crap, so not a long review.
I just watched this film this morning and really enjoyed it. Read more
I just watched this film this morning and really enjoyed it. Read more
Published on 26 July 2009 by Agent Cooper
Hardly worth the bargain bin...
Where can I start? I feel like I've just wasted a whole <checks box> 144 minutes of my life!
Okay, let me get the few 'positive' thoughts out of the way. 1. Read more
Okay, let me get the few 'positive' thoughts out of the way. 1. Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2009 by G. Ward
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". Read more
Ok, this is not "Casino Royale" or "Goodfellas". But it's the kind of fun you get from a movie like "Crank". Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2008 by Salacious Crumb
good romping fun
entertaining shoot em up full of extreme violence and shoot outs, this will pass the time well enough
Published on 7 Jun 2008 by martin thomas
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