Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1693 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-05-07
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Icelandic, Arabic
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 109 minutes

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.

Customer Reviews

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.

All Over the Place
Even with the many familiar faces in this film it is a major let down.
The first hour is basically a build up for all the events that take place in a Hotel near the end. You get a very brief introduction to the very many (too many) characters who are all hoping to kill one man - and coincidently everyone chooses the same day. Even during the introductions though the camera keeps swaping from group to group so it's difficult to keep track of their plans or get to know any of the characters.
However by the time the plans start to take action you can see the ideas behind them, so the first hour of this film was basically a waste of time.
As the camera switched from group to group so quickly for the first hour, by the time the guns start shooting and characters start to die you really couldn't care less about any of them.
At this point it all becomes a bit of a mess. The plot? people run in to each other and shoot whoever they come across - even though they all want the same thing - one guy dead!! Surely they would team up rather than shoot at each other?
Matthew Fox is in this very briefly and his death scene is ridiculous (this won't ruin the plot in this as he is only an extra in it anyway). None of the characters in this film are believable other than maybe 2 police guys.
A scene with Alicia Keys near the end shows that romance is not this directors strong point, I was in stitches as it was all so unbelievable and almost a comedy.
There is no emotion in this film at all, a very mediocre plot and also no likeable/believable characters. I think this is a very bad attempt at a serious version of 'Snatch' but without the wit, great plot and characters!!!
I beseech you not to waste your money on this! You can probably watch it on tv by now anyway if ABSOLUTELY necessary.