A sweet celebration in artifice, Smokin’ Aces ultimately offers a generally pleasurable alternative with its sensational action and flare compared to the heavy films released in the fall and winter. Although the excessive, and even empty, superfluous violence in the film can be seen as nothing more than exploitation movie trash, Aces has a special redeeming quality up its sleeve, its engrossing style and broad observation on current circumstance and society.
If Ocean’s 11 and Snatch became one film, you would have Smokin’ Aces. In it, a large bounty for a strung-out magician’s head (actually, it’s for his heart) is sought out by a myriad of ultra-violent hitmen (and women) in a clamor of fast cuts, electric dialogue and superabundant gun-fighting, all-too-familiar elements of a crime/gangster drama. But the entire film so over-blows the illusory essence of this genre, quite like pro-wrestling is overblown with steroids and egocentric personalities, that it loses any kind of gravitas. Without giving anything away, the first half of the film retains a sort of testosterone-pumped fun and dark humor as the assassins go about their business. The second half reveals some surprising drama, although it is only drowned out by more violent tripe, and a rather weighty indictment at the end of an authority that betrays its constituency in a convoluted and mostly unbeknownst way, echoing real-world parallels. On the whole, the film makes a skillful transition from sensational action to unforeseen drama, which some might enjoy, but others might find ineffective due to the amount of camp.
Joe Carnahan, the director of the film and previously of the innovative Narc, flexes his experiential muscle in this area by allowing Aces a keen awareness of twisted, juicy drama shot in a fashionable way. He directs a cast of big-name headliners who all hold themselves well, which will be a major attraction for filmgoers.
The pivotal figure, Buddy “Aces” Israel, is exquisitely played by Jeremy Piven, who recently has grown a reputation as playing the cynically hilarious talent manager Ari Gold on the show Entourage. Humorous farce comes out in this performance, but Piven is also given the chance to truly display his versatility by showing remarkable stress and wear in the character, catching the audience unexpectedly while being utterly delightful to see in an actor.
Ray Liotta and Andy Garcia play FBI agents, the antithesis of most of the character parts they are known for, like that of Henry Hill in Goodfellas and Vincent Mancini in The Godfather: Part III, respectively. Joining them is Ryan Reynolds, who also plays a fed. Although his r?sum? reveals a preoccupation with man-child characters with such films as Van Wilder and Waiting, Reynolds convincingly holds the part well, although it is difficult to forget his prior work.
Two newcomers, singer Alicia Keyes and rapper Common, bear uncanny performances. Also, Jason Bateman, of Arrested Development fame, and Ben Affleck contribute greatly to the film’s humor as supporting characters.
It should also be noted that the score composed by Clint Mansell, the composer of Requiem For A Dream’s score, stands out prominently and adds to much of the dramatic power within the film.
Although most of the film can be unmerited in its use of social taboos, Aces does have a charm and can have weight once the audience sees past those damning elements as only empty devices meant to convey something more. Of course, the film is still just that: full of emptiness.
