Smokin' Aces (2007)

Crammed full of everything.

This movie has it all:
Packed full of famous faces... all of whom give great performances.
Great dialogue and stories for each character.
A couple of unseen twists in the story, and an ending that makes this better than an action film.

Even knowing what is going on, the second viewing was even better. Special features are good, especially the character bios. I will watch this several more times.

This movie dives into the criminal world, somewhat like a Tarantino movie, but with more pace. June 15, 2008

If you like your novels graphic

I had thought that this was a Terrentino film and was reluctant to watch it. As it got going I was surprised ad how coherent it remained even if a bit convoluted and silly.

The plot seemed like something out of the "underground" comic books of the seventies, today they are of course called graphic novels. So, here is the deal, this is not a well written engrossing story, but it is a bit of mindless fun for those not offended by, well anything, because it has about every offensive thing you could find without an NC17 rating.
May 21, 2008

Fast, But Long

It's probably my fault, but the movie went so fast and cut back in forth in time that I spent alot of time trying to catch up to the developments. Still, great fun for hep kiddies. May 17, 2008

Greed!

Some people will do anything for the love of money! Hit men and women from all over the Country try to cash in on this HIT, even if it mean hitting each other. May 15, 2008

Lots of smoke, plenty of fire(power)...

Seriously, I had to watch Smokin' Aces three times to get the rhythm of it and to pick up on all the critical details. There's so much going on and so much information being delivered at the beginning, that it made it difficult for me to catch it all the first time around. For better or worse, it's one of those movies that requires thorough attention and the understanding that every little piece of dialog is significant. To its credit, every second of Smokin' Aces is necessary and not one second is wasted. There is no drag to the story at all... which is also its problem if you're a casual viewer. Let your mind wander for more than a few seconds and you're wondering what you missed. Beyond that, the best parts of this movie are found in subtleties that can be appreciated only after repeated viewings, which is what makes it worth owning. Even the minor characters are interesting and memorable, and every scene offers layers of personality and character that reveal themselves only when the sometimes overwhelming (and magnificently directed) violence is set aside. My only real criticism is that the twist at the end feels rather anti-climactic and overdue. I'm not sure it could have been done any other way, but it was a noticeable distraction (although the final scene made up for most of it). April 9, 2008

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