Smokin Aces Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD DVD with Jeremy Piven, Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta (R) +Movie Reviews

"Way Past Words" ~ Prostitutes, Perverts, Psychos & Professi

Brian E. Erland | Brea, CA - USA | 04/19/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"`Smokin' Aces' released on DVD in '07 is the next step in the evolution of madness and mayhem begun by the '94 cult classic `Pulp Fiction' and redefined in '03 with `Kill Bill.' Like the two previously mentioned films "Smokin' Aces' presents a display of outlandish, wacked out "bad guys" and hard nosed, amoral "good guys" that will keep you riveted to the screen. The action is fast and furious, the bloodshed plentiful and the plot turns will keep you wondering where this film is taking you until the very end.

This movie is definitely not for everyone [especially children] but if you like this genre of film you'll love this one!"

It is what it is -- a great-looking, trippy action flick

Peace Brotha | Ohio, United States | 02/11/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Smokin Aces is one of the best eye candy films I have seen in years.

It is full of interesting camera angles, shocks, thrills, humor and characters that you will remember. I for one appreciate the fact that almost none of the actors were cast as you'd expect. And while SA is not what I would call a retro-style film, there are more than enough nods to the 1970's that fans of that culture like me will really get a kick out of this film's style.

And WHAT a soundtrack.

Note: there are so many plots and subplots interwoven throughout SA that you will surely need to see this movie once more to catch everything, including some of the more profound statements about the darker sides of the human psyche that the director may or may not be trying to comment on.

Some of the reviewers say there's too much violence. Hello. That's what these types of movies are about. Period.

All in all, SA is a great-looking and trippy action flick that doesn't try to be something that it isn't: "deep." Don't look for Academy Award winning ANYTHING here. But be prepared for an interesting ride that you will surely want to take again, and in 20 years it will be a lot more acclaimed than it is now. Just wait and see.

"

Sure it won't win any awards, but it was still fun to watch.

Peter Shermeta | Rochester, MI | 06/22/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Believe it or not, this movie was actually relatively entertaining. Even when some pretty small parts are involved, I am always interested in seeing a movie with a cast like this. Let me list a few people who made appearances in Smokin' Aces: Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Common, Andy Garcia, Alicia Keys, "that girl from Hustle & Flow," Jason Bateman and Matthew Fox.

The movie was completely ridiculous. Ryan Reynolds started to go a little overboard at the end, but other than that the movie does not take itself seriously at all. If you try to take this movie seriously, you will be grossly disappointed. Smokin' Aces combined just about every possible stereotype into a murder-for-hire movie, but did it to be satirical and did not come across as cliché. It was so ridiculous, in fact, that I considered it almost on par with a Quentin Tarantino flick.

Call me crazy, but I liked Smokin' Aces...for what it was. I was looking for an off-the-wall, shoot-'em-up, action movie and that is exactly what I got. I was even impressed with the creativity behind the story (though the end was somewhat of a let down).

"

Man

Ron | Jersey | 08/09/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I really wanted this to be good. You look at the list of characters that star in this and you figure it has got to be good. I was hoping for a semi serious picture with a great story like Ocean's Eleven(the remake). Instead this was more of a Hong Kong over the top action film with buckets of bloody killings. I don't mind pictures like that, but the box said drama comedy. I'm not sure where the comedy was in the movie. The acting is fine, and there certainly was some offbeat characters. Unfortunately everything has a ton of promise, but very little hits the mark. This was decent to watch and entertaining, but I wasn't blown away like I would have hoped. Certainly worth renting, and probably a buy for a lot of people. I would watch it first rather than making a blind buy."

Bang, bang, Boom, Boom...fizzle

Mr. Richard K. Weems | Fair Lawn, NJ USA | 08/18/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a big fan of gangster genre--in many ways, it seems to be one of the last vestiges of quirky character investigation left in the world of movies and media. The popularity and intrigue generated by The Sopranos, for example, shows you how much gangsters capture people's interests. And why? Maybe because they're such extraordinary personalities, characters that are dealing with the essential questions of survival and betrayal and life and death.

But nix that idea for this movie--this movie is a wannabe in gangster genre, but only seems to know the images but nothing of the substance. Wanting to soak up the cult elitism of Tarantino added to the flair of something like Snatch, this movie tries to set up a host of nasty but somehow interesting characters, as well as a little secret to try to drive the film by.

The set-up--simple. Buddy Israel, a Vegas magician turned mob boss, is turning informant, and so a million-dollar bounty has been put on his head, which catches the interest of a hitman who is also a master of disguise, as well as a pair of female gangstas, a trio of Nazi brothers, and a mysterious figure known as only The Swede (which is apprently a nickname that was never used in the hole history of the mob). But there is a stir in the FBI head office, and though three agents (including Ray Liotta) have already headed off to Israel's penthouse to protect the man.

Of course, there are other characters and turns, but they all feel a little flat during the movie, for there is little sense of character investigation and more a barrage of eccentricities with little sense of the logic behind them, and the pay-off towards the end is nothing of the sort, leading to a finale that is little more than improbable to any sense of logic. Rather than deal with the emotions of love, hatred and devotion, this movie merely mentions them to try to spice up its characters, but they are never really issues in the plot. Israel is clearly bothered by his impending move, but the reason for it is totally obfuscated until maybe the end, but even then it's not so clear. There might be a hint of romance between the two female killers, but again this is there just to make them a little more quirky rather than truly interesting characters.

Overall, a disappointment. Flash and fire, but little interest.

"

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