Is it possible for a movie to have a ton of stuff happening, but have nothing happen at all? Sure, that movie is called "Smokin´ Aces", a tangled web of uninteresting plotlines and anarchic filmmaking. The film is like "It´s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" filtered through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino, then filtered again through the lens of Guy Ritchie. Not surprisingly, Joe Carnahan first emerged among the pack of indie filmmakers of the post-Tarantino era. His debut film "Blood, Guts, Bullets, and Octane" followed in the footsteps of Ritchie´s action/comedy "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels." Carnahan gained some instant credibility with the gritty crime drama, "Narc", which won over Tom Cruise as a fan. Cruise would help "Narc" gain a wider release and hired Carnahan to direct "Mission: Impossible III." The two had creative differences and Carnahan was later replaced by J.J. Abrams. Looking at "Smokin´ Aces", it´s easy to see why Ethan Hunt gave Carnahan the boot.
The focal point of the story (such as it is) is a Vegas magician named Buddy "Aces" Israel (Jeremy Piven). Israel´s shows garner a strong following with the local mobsters and pretty soon he´s playing cops and robbers with the big boys. Things don´t work out and Israel is arrested, but promptly skips bail to hide out in a penthouse in Lake Tahoe. Seeing him as a liability, mob boss Primo Sparazza puts a million dollar bounty on the head of Israel. Soon, assassins come out of the woodwork to take on the job. Accepting the contract are Georgia Sykes (R&B singer Alicia Keys) and her lover Sharice Watters (Taraji P. Henson), master of disguise Lazlo Soot (Tommy Flanagan), the sadistic Pasqual Acosta (Nestor Carbonell), and the psychotic Tremor Brothers, Darwin (Chris Pine), Jeeves (Kevin Durand), and Lester (Maury Sterling).
The FBI wants to get their hands on Israel, seeing him as a star witness to topple organized crime. Deputy Director Stanley Locke (Andy Garcia) puts agents Richard Messner (Ryan Reynolds) and his mentor Donald Carruthers (Ray Liotta) on the case. Not to be counted out are a trio of bail bondsmen Jack Dupree (Ben Affleck), Pete Deeks (Peter Berg), and Hollis Elmore (Martin Henderson) who also want to capture Israel. There are still a few other characters that I left out, but I can barely remember half of them. Thank goodness for my old friend Wikipedia.
The first half hour of the film is practically dedicated to exposition. We are methodically introduced to each character and whatever history they have. None of this backstory is particularly interesting or, at least, isn´t told to us in any sort of interesting way. We´re told the Tremor Brothers are neo-Nazi rednecks, but nothing they do or say is any indication that they are neo-Nazis or rednecks. They just dress oddly and carry around big guns and chainsaws. Carnahan seems to be tossing a bunch of goofy caricatures onto the screen to cover up his lack of writing skills. There´s a wacky kid with ADD who practices martial arts and speaks in gangster slang that shows up, if for no other reason than he´s a wacky kid with ADD who practices martial arts and speaks in gangster slang. The same goes for another scene where Bateman´s character wears women´s underwear. I don´t know who he´s supposed to be or what he´s adding to the story, but he´s wearing a bra and panties, so Ha ha ha.
Muddying up the proceedings even further is a subplot involving the cold case murder of an undercover FBI agent. First, the heavy-handed resolution of this B-story can be seen coming from a mile away. Secondly, it feels like something from a different film. In all honesty, I might have enjoyed the film if Carnahan went straight for the jugular and made this an orgy of carnage, bullets, and bloodshed. I could have been happy to check my brain at the door for a battle royal between hitmen and scumbags. Instead, we get this pseudo-FBI thriller/mystery element thrown in to add even more exposition than needed.
I´m shocked that such a hackneyed script was able to acquire such an amazing cast. I´m even more taken aback that Carnahan does absolutely nothing interesting with any of them. You´ve got Andy Garcia, Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Jason Bateman, Nestor Carbonell, Curtis Armstrong, rapper Common, and an unrecognizable Matthew Fox, among others. As the old saying goes, "Too many cooks spoil the broth." In the case of "Smokin´ Aces", far too many characters leave little room for the characters to breathe and develop.
I´m a big fan of Piven and always thought he stood out in the supporting roles he´s played in films like "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "Old School." I´m glad he´s getting a ton of recognition as the great Ari Gold on "Entourage." As Buddy Israel, Piven isn´t so much a humorous character as a man who degenerates both physically and emotionally. However, I couldn´t help but think he could have done more. Reynolds who can display a great, cheeky humor doesn´t get the chance to do any of that here. Andy Garcia is another of my favorite actors and he just sleepwalks through his role. About the one who´s a little more interesting, as an actor and character, is the debuting Alicia Keys as hitwoman Georgia Sykes. Her and Tarija Henson add a tough feminine touch to the otherwise testosterone heavy production. It´s too bad they didn´t get meatier scenes. It also doesn´t hurt that Keys looks great in fishnet stockings and thigh-high leather boots.
The focal point of the story (such as it is) is a Vegas magician named Buddy "Aces" Israel (Jeremy Piven). Israel´s shows garner a strong following with the local mobsters and pretty soon he´s playing cops and robbers with the big boys. Things don´t work out and Israel is arrested, but promptly skips bail to hide out in a penthouse in Lake Tahoe. Seeing him as a liability, mob boss Primo Sparazza puts a million dollar bounty on the head of Israel. Soon, assassins come out of the woodwork to take on the job. Accepting the contract are Georgia Sykes (R&B singer Alicia Keys) and her lover Sharice Watters (Taraji P. Henson), master of disguise Lazlo Soot (Tommy Flanagan), the sadistic Pasqual Acosta (Nestor Carbonell), and the psychotic Tremor Brothers, Darwin (Chris Pine), Jeeves (Kevin Durand), and Lester (Maury Sterling).
The FBI wants to get their hands on Israel, seeing him as a star witness to topple organized crime. Deputy Director Stanley Locke (Andy Garcia) puts agents Richard Messner (Ryan Reynolds) and his mentor Donald Carruthers (Ray Liotta) on the case. Not to be counted out are a trio of bail bondsmen Jack Dupree (Ben Affleck), Pete Deeks (Peter Berg), and Hollis Elmore (Martin Henderson) who also want to capture Israel. There are still a few other characters that I left out, but I can barely remember half of them. Thank goodness for my old friend Wikipedia.
The first half hour of the film is practically dedicated to exposition. We are methodically introduced to each character and whatever history they have. None of this backstory is particularly interesting or, at least, isn´t told to us in any sort of interesting way. We´re told the Tremor Brothers are neo-Nazi rednecks, but nothing they do or say is any indication that they are neo-Nazis or rednecks. They just dress oddly and carry around big guns and chainsaws. Carnahan seems to be tossing a bunch of goofy caricatures onto the screen to cover up his lack of writing skills. There´s a wacky kid with ADD who practices martial arts and speaks in gangster slang that shows up, if for no other reason than he´s a wacky kid with ADD who practices martial arts and speaks in gangster slang. The same goes for another scene where Bateman´s character wears women´s underwear. I don´t know who he´s supposed to be or what he´s adding to the story, but he´s wearing a bra and panties, so Ha ha ha.
Muddying up the proceedings even further is a subplot involving the cold case murder of an undercover FBI agent. First, the heavy-handed resolution of this B-story can be seen coming from a mile away. Secondly, it feels like something from a different film. In all honesty, I might have enjoyed the film if Carnahan went straight for the jugular and made this an orgy of carnage, bullets, and bloodshed. I could have been happy to check my brain at the door for a battle royal between hitmen and scumbags. Instead, we get this pseudo-FBI thriller/mystery element thrown in to add even more exposition than needed.
I´m shocked that such a hackneyed script was able to acquire such an amazing cast. I´m even more taken aback that Carnahan does absolutely nothing interesting with any of them. You´ve got Andy Garcia, Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Jason Bateman, Nestor Carbonell, Curtis Armstrong, rapper Common, and an unrecognizable Matthew Fox, among others. As the old saying goes, "Too many cooks spoil the broth." In the case of "Smokin´ Aces", far too many characters leave little room for the characters to breathe and develop.
I´m a big fan of Piven and always thought he stood out in the supporting roles he´s played in films like "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "Old School." I´m glad he´s getting a ton of recognition as the great Ari Gold on "Entourage." As Buddy Israel, Piven isn´t so much a humorous character as a man who degenerates both physically and emotionally. However, I couldn´t help but think he could have done more. Reynolds who can display a great, cheeky humor doesn´t get the chance to do any of that here. Andy Garcia is another of my favorite actors and he just sleepwalks through his role. About the one who´s a little more interesting, as an actor and character, is the debuting Alicia Keys as hitwoman Georgia Sykes. Her and Tarija Henson add a tough feminine touch to the otherwise testosterone heavy production. It´s too bad they didn´t get meatier scenes. It also doesn´t hurt that Keys looks great in fishnet stockings and thigh-high leather boots.
Is it possible for a movie to have a ton of stuff happening, but have nothing happen at all? Sure, that movie is called "Smokin´ Aces", a tangled web of uninteresting plotlines and anarchic filmmaking. The film is like "It´s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" filtered through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino, then filtered again through the lens of Guy Ritchie. Not surprisingly, Joe Carnahan first emerged among the pack of indie filmmakers of the post-Tarantino era. His debut film "Blood, Guts, Bullets, and Octane" followed in the footsteps of Ritchie´s action/comedy "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels." Carnahan gained some instant credibility with the gritty crime drama, "Narc", which won over Tom Cruise as a fan. Cruise would help "Narc" gain a wider release and hired Carnahan to direct "Mission: Impossible III." The two had creative differences and Carnahan was later replaced by J.J. Abrams. Looking at "Smokin´ Aces", it´s easy to see why Ethan Hunt gave Carnahan the boot.
The focal point of the story (such as it is) is a Vegas magician named Buddy "Aces" Israel (Jeremy Piven). Israel´s shows garner a strong following with the local mobsters and pretty soon he´s playing cops and robbers with the big boys. Things don´t work out and Israel is arrested, but promptly skips bail to hide out in a penthouse in Lake Tahoe. Seeing him as a liability, mob boss Primo Sparazza puts a million dollar bounty on the head of Israel. Soon, assassins come out of the woodwork to take on the job. Accepting the contract are Georgia Sykes (R&B singer Alicia Keys) and her lover Sharice Watters (Taraji P. Henson), master of disguise Lazlo Soot (Tommy Flanagan), the sadistic Pasqual Acosta (Nestor Carbonell), and the psychotic Tremor Brothers, Darwin (Chris Pine), Jeeves (Kevin Durand), and Lester (Maury Sterling).
The FBI wants to get their hands on Israel, seeing him as a star witness to topple organized crime. Deputy Director Stanley Locke (Andy Garcia) puts agents Richard Messner (Ryan Reynolds) and his mentor Donald Carruthers (Ray Liotta) on the case. Not to be counted out are a trio of bail bondsmen Jack Dupree (Ben Affleck), Pete Deeks (Peter Berg), and Hollis Elmore (Martin Henderson) who also want to capture Israel. There are still a few other characters that I left out, but I can barely remember half of them. Thank goodness for my old friend Wikipedia.
The first half hour of the film is practically dedicated to exposition. We are methodically introduced to each character and whatever history they have. None of this backstory is particularly interesting or, at least, isn´t told to us in any sort of interesting way. We´re told the Tremor Brothers are neo-Nazi rednecks, but nothing they do or say is any indication that they are neo-Nazis or rednecks. They just dress oddly and carry around big guns and chainsaws. Carnahan seems to be tossing a bunch of goofy caricatures onto the screen to cover up his lack of writing skills. There´s a wacky kid with ADD who practices martial arts and speaks in gangster slang that shows up, if for no other reason than he´s a wacky kid with ADD who practices martial arts and speaks in gangster slang. The same goes for another scene where Bateman´s character wears women´s underwear. I don´t know who he´s supposed to be or what he´s adding to the story, but he´s wearing a bra and panties, so Ha ha ha.
Muddying up the proceedings even further is a subplot involving the cold case murder of an undercover FBI agent. First, the heavy-handed resolution of this B-story can be seen coming from a mile away. Secondly, it feels like something from a different film. In all honesty, I might have enjoyed the film if Carnahan went straight for the jugular and made this an orgy of carnage, bullets, and bloodshed. I could have been happy to check my brain at the door for a battle royal between hitmen and scumbags. Instead, we get this pseudo-FBI thriller/mystery element thrown in to add even more exposition than needed.
I´m shocked that such a hackneyed script was able to acquire such an amazing cast. I´m even more taken aback that Carnahan does absolutely nothing interesting with any of them. You´ve got Andy Garcia, Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Jason Bateman, Nestor Carbonell, Curtis Armstrong, rapper Common, and an unrecognizable Matthew Fox, among others. As the old saying goes, "Too many cooks spoil the broth." In the case of "Smokin´ Aces", far too many characters leave little room for the characters to breathe and develop.
I´m a big fan of Piven and always thought he stood out in the supporting roles he´s played in films like "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "Old School." I´m glad he´s getting a ton of recognition as the great Ari Gold on "Entourage." As Buddy Israel, Piven isn´t so much a humorous character as a man who degenerates both physically and emotionally. However, I couldn´t help but think he could have done more. Reynolds who can display a great, cheeky humor doesn´t get the chance to do any of that here. Andy Garcia is another of my favorite actors and he just sleepwalks through his role. About the one who´s a little more interesting, as an actor and character, is the debuting Alicia Keys as hitwoman Georgia Sykes. Her and Tarija Henson add a tough feminine touch to the otherwise testosterone heavy production. It´s too bad they didn´t get meatier scenes. It also doesn´t hurt that Keys looks great in fishnet stockings and thigh-high leather boots.
The focal point of the story (such as it is) is a Vegas magician named Buddy "Aces" Israel (Jeremy Piven). Israel´s shows garner a strong following with the local mobsters and pretty soon he´s playing cops and robbers with the big boys. Things don´t work out and Israel is arrested, but promptly skips bail to hide out in a penthouse in Lake Tahoe. Seeing him as a liability, mob boss Primo Sparazza puts a million dollar bounty on the head of Israel. Soon, assassins come out of the woodwork to take on the job. Accepting the contract are Georgia Sykes (R&B singer Alicia Keys) and her lover Sharice Watters (Taraji P. Henson), master of disguise Lazlo Soot (Tommy Flanagan), the sadistic Pasqual Acosta (Nestor Carbonell), and the psychotic Tremor Brothers, Darwin (Chris Pine), Jeeves (Kevin Durand), and Lester (Maury Sterling).
The FBI wants to get their hands on Israel, seeing him as a star witness to topple organized crime. Deputy Director Stanley Locke (Andy Garcia) puts agents Richard Messner (Ryan Reynolds) and his mentor Donald Carruthers (Ray Liotta) on the case. Not to be counted out are a trio of bail bondsmen Jack Dupree (Ben Affleck), Pete Deeks (Peter Berg), and Hollis Elmore (Martin Henderson) who also want to capture Israel. There are still a few other characters that I left out, but I can barely remember half of them. Thank goodness for my old friend Wikipedia.
The first half hour of the film is practically dedicated to exposition. We are methodically introduced to each character and whatever history they have. None of this backstory is particularly interesting or, at least, isn´t told to us in any sort of interesting way. We´re told the Tremor Brothers are neo-Nazi rednecks, but nothing they do or say is any indication that they are neo-Nazis or rednecks. They just dress oddly and carry around big guns and chainsaws. Carnahan seems to be tossing a bunch of goofy caricatures onto the screen to cover up his lack of writing skills. There´s a wacky kid with ADD who practices martial arts and speaks in gangster slang that shows up, if for no other reason than he´s a wacky kid with ADD who practices martial arts and speaks in gangster slang. The same goes for another scene where Bateman´s character wears women´s underwear. I don´t know who he´s supposed to be or what he´s adding to the story, but he´s wearing a bra and panties, so Ha ha ha.
Muddying up the proceedings even further is a subplot involving the cold case murder of an undercover FBI agent. First, the heavy-handed resolution of this B-story can be seen coming from a mile away. Secondly, it feels like something from a different film. In all honesty, I might have enjoyed the film if Carnahan went straight for the jugular and made this an orgy of carnage, bullets, and bloodshed. I could have been happy to check my brain at the door for a battle royal between hitmen and scumbags. Instead, we get this pseudo-FBI thriller/mystery element thrown in to add even more exposition than needed.
I´m shocked that such a hackneyed script was able to acquire such an amazing cast. I´m even more taken aback that Carnahan does absolutely nothing interesting with any of them. You´ve got Andy Garcia, Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Jason Bateman, Nestor Carbonell, Curtis Armstrong, rapper Common, and an unrecognizable Matthew Fox, among others. As the old saying goes, "Too many cooks spoil the broth." In the case of "Smokin´ Aces", far too many characters leave little room for the characters to breathe and develop.
I´m a big fan of Piven and always thought he stood out in the supporting roles he´s played in films like "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "Old School." I´m glad he´s getting a ton of recognition as the great Ari Gold on "Entourage." As Buddy Israel, Piven isn´t so much a humorous character as a man who degenerates both physically and emotionally. However, I couldn´t help but think he could have done more. Reynolds who can display a great, cheeky humor doesn´t get the chance to do any of that here. Andy Garcia is another of my favorite actors and he just sleepwalks through his role. About the one who´s a little more interesting, as an actor and character, is the debuting Alicia Keys as hitwoman Georgia Sykes. Her and Tarija Henson add a tough feminine touch to the otherwise testosterone heavy production. It´s too bad they didn´t get meatier scenes. It also doesn´t hurt that Keys looks great in fishnet stockings and thigh-high leather boots.
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