by Universal Studios Home Entertainment
| Average Rating: |
|
| Sales Rank: | 10284 (lower is better) |
| Price Used: | $4.79 |
| Shipping: | Free Shipping on most orders over $25* |
| Availability: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| Director: | Joe Carnahan |
| Release Date: | 2007-04-17 |
| Label: | Universal Studios Home Entertainment |
| UPC: | 025193268228 |
| Binding: | HD DVD |
| Published By: | Universal Studios Home Entertainment |
| ASIN: | B000NTPFK8 |
| Category: | DVD |
Actors and Actresses
Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions
Product Description
Slick Las Vegas illusionist Buddy "Aces" Israel isn't playing nice. Turns out he's telling mob secrets to the FBI. After a $1 million contract is put out on him Aces tries to pull his greatest disappearing act before a rogues' gallery of ex-cons hit men and smokin' hot assassins tries to rub him out in this dark action comedy that takes no prisoners.System Requirements:Running Time: 109 Mins.Format: DVD HD Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 025193268228 Manufacturer No: 61032682
Amazon.com
A frantic and frequently amusing cocktail of Tarantino cool and Hong Kong bullet ballet, Joe (Narc) Carnahan's Smokin' Aces delivers some inspired moments of action and dark comedy in its dizzying-comic book plot about a rogue's gallery of killers on the hunt for a mob informer. At the core of Carnahan's bloody shaggy-dog tale is Buddy Israel (Jeremy Piven, offering a more desperate take on his standard hustler persona), a Vegas magician who's turned informant against the mobsters who have treated him as their personal entertainment. Wishing to close Buddy's overactive mouth permanently, the mob capo puts a bounty on the two-bit showman's head, and a horde of hitmen descends on Buddy's digs to claim the prize. The unholy crew of gunmen offer the movie's most inspired (and outlandish) moments, with R&B singer Alicia Keys (as a cool, Foxy Brown-esque assassin), Nestor Carbonell (as a torture-minded sadist), Ben Affleck and Peter Berg (low-key bail bondsmen) and Chris Pine (the leader of a trio of semi-savage brothers) among the more memorable villains. Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, and Andy Garcia represent the other side of the coin as FBI agents determined to get to Buddy before the legion of doom, and the clashes between both factions produce some eye-popping gunplay. If there's any complaint to be made about Smokin' Aces, it's that the tone shifts between action-drama and hipster comedy feel forced (Carnahan struck a firmer balance between the two in his 1998 indie effort, Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane), but the performances and shootout set pieces, as well as Carnahan's hyperactive camera work, do much to make those transitions palatable. Eagle-eyed audience members will note the presence veteran scene stealers Curtis Armstrong (Ray), David Proval (The Sopranos), and Alex Rocco (The Godfather's Moe Green) in supporting roles. -- Paul Gaita
Customer Reviews
Like Junk Food - Reviewed on 2008-08-13
Okay, I waited quite a while for this baby to come in through my Internet rental provider, so I had rather high hopes. My mistake.
I equate this movie to the empty calories of your favorite junk food. Oh, so very yummy, but usually leaves you worse off than you were before. Could I take my eyes off of it? No. Did it have anything of value to add to the art of moviemaking in any way, shape or form? No.
Even so, I hate to admit it, but I still enjoyed watching it. Gratuitous violence, extreme profanity, a plot with so many holes a mouse would think he'd died and gone to Mouse-Heaven, and acting that would put Halle Berry's performance in Catwoman to shame, God love me, I still enjoyed watching it. Oh, what is happening to me?
On a high note, though, Jason Bateman, for the full three minutes of screen time he got, totally rocked! Love the Bateman!
So, if you like Pulp Fiction without the craftsmanship, Smokin' Aces is right up your alley.
~Scott William Foley, author of The Imagination's Provocation: Volume II: A Collection of Short Stories
Lots of fun, but... - Reviewed on 2008-07-11
This movie has a lot of good points. The story, while silly at times, is overall pretty good. Personally, I always love stories with several different parties/factions all converging on the same goal or what-have-you, and that's the basic idea of how "Smokin' Aces" goes down. Many critics have noted (unfavorably) that the movie often shifts between comic and serious tones quite suddenly, but I didn't much mind that. The characters are diverse and interesting, and the actors portraying them do very well. Vets like Ray Liotta and Andy Garcia are solid, of course, and there are surprising performances from Ryan Reynolds and Alicia Keys, plus a hilarious bit part played by Jason Bateman. The score is also atmospheric and memorable.
But the ending is really pretty weak. Forgivable, but just sort of... meh. It's kind of a big twist, but it twists in a disappointing manner, ultimately feeling a bit tacked-on, despite the fact that it's built up through the entire film. Weird. My big gripe, though, is specifically about this DVD. The extras and commentaries are solid, but the actual movie is in fake widescreen -- cropped. Considering how heavily the film was advertised when it was released, I assumed the DVD would be of higher quality. The menus are also kind of obnoxious, but whatever. And the actual, physical disc looks very shabby -- no graphics, just the title and such in an ordinary font. A minor issue, yes, but it adds a lot to the overall impression that there wasn't much effort put into the DVD.
* - See Amazon
Product Page for shipping and pricing details.
Book Subjects
- Action
- Action / Adventure
- Action Comedy
- Action Thriller
- Adult Humor
- Adult Situations
- Adventure
- Assumed Identities
- Color
- Confrontational
- Crime
- Crime Comedy
- Crime Thriller
- Drug Content
- English
- Ensemble Film
- Feature
- Feature Film Action Adventure
- Flashy
- Forceful
![Smokin' Aces (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61DNWasKeTL._SL160_.jpg)
« RSS Feeds
