Alicia Keys Video:

		List Price: $14.98		Label: Universal Studios Salesrank: 7898 Released: April 17, 2007
		Our Price: $4.94
		Used Price: $0.50
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Slick Las Vegas illusionist Buddy "Aces" Israel isn't playing nice. Turns out, he's telling mob secrets to the FBI. After a $1 million contract is put out on him, Aces tries to pull his greatest disappearing act before a rogues' gallery of ex-cons, hit men and smokin' hot assassins tries to rub him out in this dark action comedy that takes no prisoners.

Description of Smokin' Aces (Widescreen Edition):
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

Smokin' Aces (Widescreen Edition) Reviews:
action-packed, star-studded, bullet-riddled, and over-the-top
2008-11-20 - Jeremy Piven is Buddy Israel, a Vegas entertainer who's in way over his head. He's about to turn state's evidence, and everybody is out to get him, from the feds who want to put him in protective custody, to bounty hunters to various mob assassins. It's a race to see who'll get to him first, and if any of them will get to him before he implodes.

Smokin' Aces is action-packed, star-studded, bullet-riddled, and over-the-top. I think that's why I liked it so much. It's the movie equivalent of riding a rollercoaster. A thrill ride. You don't have anything to show for it when it's done, but damn, it was fun while it lasted.

In other words, don't look for a deeper meaning, or even any sympathetic characters in this movie, unless maybe it's the hit woman's girlfriend. That was an affecting plot line, in a Bonnie and Clyde kinda way.

The one thing that made me scream (literally--apologies to my neighbors) was the ending. I'm not sure why one unrealistic over-the-top detail in a movie filled with them bugs me so much, but it's just that I keep thinking there are lots of people out there who think that's believable. Maybe I'm underestimating people. . . . . . . . . . Yeah, sure I am. Is that even possible? (Cynicism is me, today. Sorry.)


Steamin' Deuces
2008-11-11 - How many mediocre takes on genre clichés and half-hearted performances of a ridiculous piecemeal script can you pack into an hour and a half? What sort of mess would result from an uninspired pastiche of the hooks of Ritchie, Tarantino, and Ocean's Thirteen, a hopeless attempt to borrow together the coolest movie evar? Smokin' Aces has the answers. Some times it seems like a poorly executed rip-off, other times like a poorly executed parody.
Things explode fairly nicely, in general, though also implausibly. Sadly, Ryan Reynolds' head does not.

Classic fast-paced movie
2008-10-05 - love this movie... good storyline, good acting and continuous action that keeps you on the edge of seat. Poetic justice ending also makes this part of any classic thriller collection.

Lots of fun, but...
2008-07-11 - This movie has a lot of good points. The story, while silly at times, is overall pretty good. Personally, I always love stories with several different parties/factions all converging on the same goal or what-have-you, and that's the basic idea of how "Smokin' Aces" goes down. Many critics have noted (unfavorably) that the movie often shifts between comic and serious tones quite suddenly, but I didn't much mind that. The characters are diverse and interesting, and the actors portraying them do very well. Vets like Ray Liotta and Andy Garcia are solid, of course, and there are surprising performances from Ryan Reynolds and Alicia Keys, plus a hilarious bit part played by Jason Bateman. The score is also atmospheric and memorable.

But the ending is really pretty weak. Forgivable, but just sort of... meh. It's kind of a big twist, but it twists in a disappointing manner, ultimately feeling a bit tacked-on, despite the fact that it's built up through the entire film. Weird. My big gripe, though, is specifically about this DVD. The extras and commentaries are solid, but the actual movie is in fake widescreen -- cropped. Considering how heavily the film was advertised when it was released, I assumed the DVD would be of higher quality. The menus are also kind of obnoxious, but whatever. And the actual, physical disc looks very shabby -- no graphics, just the title and such in an ordinary font. A minor issue, yes, but it adds a lot to the overall impression that there wasn't much effort put into the DVD.

Totally Absurd
2008-07-08 - I found the premise of this movie extremely unbelievable. The whole idea of the FBI doing this, or handling the case of Buddy Aces in such a manner was totally absurd. Further, that the mob would put a hit out in such a fashion as this is counter-intuitive. Nowadays though you have to be willing to sacrifice reality in order to enjoy yourself at the movies, but Smokin' Aces crosses the line in my view. The plot is videogamesesque. The acting was not a problem with the exception of Ryan Reynolds who was just awful as the (semi) main character. His Agent Messner was a serious drama queen and difficult to watch. As for Ray Liotta, why can't he find stronger films? He's capable of much better rolls than this one.