Smokin' Aces

Buddy Israel (Jeremy Piven) is a Las Vegas magician; actually, he's the best in Vegas. Like any good Vegas act (or so Hollywood would have you believe) he's tied to the mob. Unfortunately, being a magician doesn't make you a good mobster. It's here that the story begins: Buddy "Aces" Israel got in over his head and is now working out a deal with the F.B.I. Holed up in a hotel penthouse in Lake Tahoe, Buddy's trying to lay low until the deal goes through and he enters the witness protection program.

As you might have guessed, the mob is not happy about this. Buddy now has a price on his head of one million dollars, for his death and his heart. The feds (Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta...no, seriously) learn of the hit and desperately try to get to Tahoe to save their star witness. At the end of the first act, the feds aren't the only ones who want to get to Buddy. Throw in some ex-cop bounty hunters (Ben Affleck, et al.), two sexy female assassins (Alicia Keys is one), at least three "professional" killers from around the globe, and three skinhead rednecks and you've got yourself a hitman/woman extravaganza.

What I didn't like: Acting-wise, Andy Garcia's accent was confusing (I don't know, maybe that's the way he really talks). As for the movie, itself, it seems as though Writer/director (Joe Carnahan) had a list of "cool things to do in a movie" and dumped the list into this movie. You're left with a leap or two in believability and a fair share of choppiness.

What I liked: There were a lot of "cool things to do in a movie." I'm sorry. I'm a sucker for it. I'm not talking about your conventional "shoot 'em up" b.s. ("Wow, aliens just blew up the White House, I hope Will Smith can save us" or "how many clips did it take John McClane to kill that guy?") I won't go so far as to say they're gimmicks, just interesting scenarios played out over the entire movie that leave you wondering "why hasn't that been in a movie yet?" A decidedly good effort by an okay director. Acting-wise, I like Jeremy Piven. He's great in this one. Whether he's a college dean, a frathouse guru, a car salesman, or a coked-up magician/amateur mobster he always does a great job.

I really enjoyed how the movie progresses. Each character is given their fair share of exposition. At the end of the first act you have no idea who to follow. Throughout the movie the focus is continually changing. The downside of this is that the resolution lacked...everything. I didn't care what happened because, when it came to it, I was too busy wondering what was happening with the other story-lines.

Watch for: great scenes, taken individually. The drive-by shooting, a kid on too much aderol, cleaning up prostitutes, an elevator fire-fight, Jason Bateman. Jason Bateman plays the epitome of the sleazy, self loathing lawyer. Brilliant.

Okay, fine, you're an actor award: Ryan Reynolds. Not bad, buddy. With this movie you've gone a long way towards divorcing yourself from Dean Cook. That's right, they're two different people. Weird, I know.

You should see this movie if: 1. you like shoot 'em ups but you're looking for something with a bit more involved. 2. you think anyone can be an assassin, provided they're crazy enough. 3. you've got this one idea for a great scene in an action/comedy movie but don't know how to convey it to a writer/director; look no further.

Take home message: if you work for the F.B.I. and you are being shot at on the 6th floor from a sniper in a building across the street on the 12th floor, don't shoot back.