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Smokin' Aces

Smokin' Aces (2006)

December. 09,2006
|
6.6
|
R
| Action Comedy Thriller Crime

When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of people would like to make sure he's no longer breathing.

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Reviews

SoftInloveRox
2006/12/09

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

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Stevecorp
2006/12/10

Don't listen to the negative reviews

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ShangLuda
2006/12/11

Admirable film.

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Raymond Sierra
2006/12/12

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

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Tweekums
2006/12/13

Buddy 'Aces' Israel is a Las Vegas magician who had become a little too close to the Mafia; at first he just enjoyed hanging out with mobsters then he wanted to become one and finally he has a choice; go to jail or inform on the mob… in particular Primo Sparazza the brutal leader of the Las Vegas Mob. Soon there is a million dollar bounty on his head and a variety of hit men (and women), bounty hunters and the FBI are converging on his penthouse apartment in a Lake Tahoe hotel. When they get there all hell will break loose.For the most part this is a fairly routine action film; it starts well with the explanation of the main plot and introduction of the numerous people we assume will be the main characters. A few of them don't really last long enough to be considered main characters though. They are a varied bunch; a pair of FBI agents who think taking Buddy into custody should be a relatively routine assignment; a pair of female assassins; a trio of somewhat insane killers; a few independent killers; a group of bounty hunters; Buddy and his entourage and mention of the mysterious 'Swede'. During these introductions we see flashbacks of some of their previous work. Once the action in Tahoe gets started it is quickly turned up to eleven and it is anybody's guess which of our protagonists will survive. The cast includes plenty of familiar names including; Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta and Ryan Reynolds they all do a decent enough jobs although for me the most memorable characters were played by singer Alicia Keys, on her acting debut, and Taraji P. Henson as the hitwomen Georgia Sykes and Sharice Watters… this may have been aided by the fact that the latter's weapon of choice was a massive fifty calibre rifle! As the film reaches its end there is a twist that is a bit unnecessary but wasn't enough to detract from the film. It must be noted that this film isn't for the squeamish as there is a lot of bloody mayhem which is often brutal rather than just over-the-top. Overall though I'd recommend this to anybody wanting action, a degree of comedy and isn't easily offended.

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ereinion
2006/12/14

This movie looks "cool" and "smokin'" as its title says, but the first hint that it's not so good is the fact that non-actress Alicia Keys is one of the main stars. And she simply can't act. She does a terrible job, even though some may think she doesn't, but it's obvious, sometimes painfully obvious, that she can't act and is not a real actress. Like in the scene at the elevator, when she meets the three over the top Neo-Nazi characters. Her response is so lame and she delivers it totally unconvincingly, like she doesn't quite know what to do. And its a major mistake, casting a non-actress in a LEADING role, even in an action flick. Jeremy Piven being there doesn't do enough to save this film from being just another in a long line of unoriginal movies that are clearly a rip off of Guy Ritchie's classics like Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. And one advice to the director: adding those running name titles to introduce each major character doesn't make a movie any better! Why? Because it's already been done, to death. You had it in Faculty, those two aforementioned Ritchie films and many others.Ryan Reynolds is another reason I hate this movie, because Ryan Reynolds is the most overpaid, overrated and over-you name it in the movie industry. He simply sucks and is annoying. All this movie is made of is shootout scenes and some scenes that aim at being humorous in a rather bizarre way, like the scene with the karate boy. Vladimir Kulich, not a bad actor really, is doomed to be in second and third rate movies it seems...poor guy. And here he doesn't get more than one line even, which is totally unjust, given that he has a cool voice. Really poor and unoriginal flick, I won't even call it a film because it doesn't deserve it. Action scenes are rather well shot and that is the only treat here, along with miss Keys appearing in a short skirt. The cliché of the ending only underlines the fact that this is a turkey. 3 out of 10

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thegreyrating
2006/12/15

The Grey Rating: Smokin' AcesA flexible rating system used to determine the quality of a movie based on a methodical comparison with the film masterpiece, The Grey.+ Joe Carnahan directsLack of Sir Liam NeesonAbsence of wolvesLack of a coherent, effect storylineLack of nuanced and sophisticated charactersFull of stock characters that don't have any interest in introspection

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videorama-759-859391
2006/12/16

Buddy Israel (a wonderful Jeremy Piven) master magician, ex mafia, now turned Snitch (the one who'll give up anyone, but aren't they all snitches like that) doesn't realize how many people want him dead. Taking top floor sanctuary in a towering penthouse apartment in Vegas, his days are filled with boozing and whoring, one pro, coked up, who falls back through a glass table. Ensuring Piven's safety for one bloody good reason, are two agents (Liotta, solid, and younger Reynolds) This is all becomes an exciting, action, and extra bloody thriller. Some of the assassins are not only merciless but have scary intelligence, as we're given a little bit of background on em' in mini flashbacks, one of them a man of many faces, who obviously loves latex. The film also gives some Aussie stars a chance to boost the resume, Henderson great, part of a trio of ex cops turned assassins. You love how Henderson's fate works out, when surviving a shootout. Joel Edgerton, plays a Russian bad arse to A1 standard. I did love the film, but there's too many assassins/characters. They're are in excess, like everything else is in the film, but I don't really have a problem with the other stuff. Let me tell me you, there's an assortment of them too, including some "you don't mess with black women sorts". Also we have an anarchist trio, the ones who took down the ex cops at Lake Nevada, one of them looking much like Nick Stahl, you'll know who I mean. There's some great shootouts too, plus a priceless finale. Smokin' Aces has a great story behind it, I was amazed by how much went into it. Head of FBI, Garcia, very good, is now showing signs of aging. One of the guys who's been given up, is a crooked attorney, played by a face we haven't a long time. If action and blood is your thing, put Smokin' Aces on your agenda of movies. From the writer of the Superior cop drama, 'Narc'.

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