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SYNOPSIS:
When a Mob boss takes out a million dollar hit on Buddy 'Aces'
Israel - a sleazy Vegas showman turned FBI snitch- the Feds
placed Buddy in protective custody at a penthouse hide-out.
While Buddy kills time with hookers, booze and drugs, an outrageous
rogue's gallery of ultra-violent mobsters, smoking hot assassins
and ruthless hit men are bringing chainsaws, grenades, shotguns,
knives and more to the hunt to rub out Aces and collect that
cool million bucks.
MOVIE
REVIEW
There
was once a film called Pulp Fiction. And the cult hit was
directed by a certain maverick named Quentin Tarantino. The
year this bloody hit man drama was made? 1994.
Fast forward
13 years and director Joe Carnahan (Narc, Ticker) tries to
make a Tarantino-style black comedy called Smokin’ Aces.
The result? A terrible mess that has far too many characters,
far too many mindless gunfights and bloodsheds, and worst
of all, a plot that wrecks brains in the most torturous manner.
Jeremy
Piven (TV’s Entourage) plays a Las Vegas magician turned
gangster who has decided to testify against the triads. The
state places him in custody protection, but that does not
stop a motley crew of assassins, mobsters and hit men from
hunting him down.
Sounds
like a simple story? We thought so too.
But before
long, this 108-minute movie lost us with its senseless violence,
ridiculous sadism and disengaging plot. While we thought that
we would at least care for one of the many characters, we
found ourselves fiddling with the fast forward button because
none of the array of personalities is any bit appealing.
Nope,
none of the stellar cast ranging from Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds,
Ray Liotta or Alicia Keys (in her film debut, poor girl) can
save the day.
Every
ten minutes or so, we would be caught off guard by loud gun
shoots, decapitated limbs, coarse vulgarities and occasionally
scantily-clad women. Although these scenes have been stylishly
shot, and showcase the editor’s flair for snazzy editing,
the overemphasis on style (and not substance) makes this flick
an unsatisfying watch.
The
colors and effect may be flashy in this M18 movie; the testosterone
level may be high for this male-dominated movie; but ultimately,
it is not difficult for viewers to realize that it is an empty
shell that will leave you numb in the seat.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains no extra features.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer glorifies the scenes which
feature violence, blood and gore, while the film is presented
in English Dolby Digital 5.1.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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