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Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2007 > January > 26 > Entry
‘Smokin Aces’ chokes reviewer with pollution
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that the screenplay for “Smokin’ Aces” was written by a 6 year old.
Why do I say that? Because its scattershot narrative technique reminds me of a little kid trying to make up an elaborate lie.
“Who spilled the juice? Um, OK, well, Jack and Ivy were playing a game, then Georgia wanted to play too, so they started yelling and then Stan got mad which made Georgia mad so I came running and I tripped over Stan, who trying to find Pete who was looking for Georgia, but Stan didn’t know where Georgia was so Richard came to help and, and I bumped into Jason who yelled at Richard then Pete started crying so I came over to Pete and then Richard and Ben suddenly came in, and Jason was still crying so Ryan started to scream again and …
“Wait, let me start over…”
Confused? That’s how I felt watching “Smokin’ Aces.” I’d try to summarize the plot, but I’m not sure I could get it right. The movie introduced about 40 characters within the first 20 minutes, which fried a couple of synapses in my brain. The barest outline I can give you is that a Las Vegas performer played by Jeremy Piven snitches against the mob, which makes a lot of people mad. Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Andy Garcia and even Alicia Keyes are all in the cast.
Joe Carnahan wrote and directed this film, having previously made the acclaimed police thriller “Narc.” I’d call Carnahan a talented director if only he had a story to tell and a sense of control. He certainly has a visual style heavy on hand-held camerawork and hyper editing that give his action scenes a unique edge - when you can follow them. They’re like combinations of Tony Scott, Martin Scorsese, Richard Donner, Quentin Tarantino and Oliver Stone in his “Natural Born Killers” period.
Unfortunately, Carnahan is usually too busy showing off to have his movie make any sense. It’s telling that the scene I remember the most from this movie involves a little kid wearing a karate suit. He’s hopped up on Ritalin and he goes around flinging nunchakus in everyone’s faces, with Carnahan freezing the frame and changing film speeds to prove how hip he is.
Oh yeah, and the kid has an erection too. It’s that kind of movie.
With the actors Carnahan has, there are a few good performances, and it’s certainly interesting to see Keyes playing a crack shot. Unfortunately, the movie is so all over the map I neither understood nor cared about what was going on.
Movies in this live-wire vein can work. Witness Guy Ritchie’s “”Snatch,” which had similar jumpy camerawork and bizarre characters like the one played by Brad Pitt who spoke in Mumblese. But that film was A) comprehensible and B) fun to watch. This movie is neither. Where there is “Smokin Aces,” there is no fire.
GRADE: D
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Reviews
Comments
By Bud Norton
January 30, 2007 3:19 PM | Link to this
I read partway through your summary and thought “sounds like a ripoff of the style of ‘Snatch,’” and now I see you made a similar comparison in the last para. Great minds think alike about terrible movies.By Mark
January 26, 2007 6:24 PM | Link to this
LMAO Eric! I was checking my bulletins on MySpace and a cast member whom I have as a MySpace “friend” had sent one out to remind people of “Smokin Aces” release today. Then I scroll down a little more and I see your bulletin, “Smokin Aces blows”, lol. I don’t know why but I found that completely hilarious. Well thanks for the heads up on the piece that is “SA”, so I can save my self the trouble of going out to see it. I still want to see Pan’s Labyrinth based on your recomendation, but I also need to see the latest Bond film, if it’s even playing anymore. I haven’t been to a movie in a while because I’ve been busy trying to keep up with everything Katharine McPhee’s doing leading up to the release of her debut album on 1-30. If I may be so bold as to recomend something to your readers, check it out. It’s fantastic!By SRCputt
January 26, 2007 12:53 PM | Link to this
That kid had nothing to do with anything, except to annoy the audience. He darn sure wasn’t funny (and I think he was supposed to be funny).By SRCputt
January 26, 2007 12:51 PM | Link to this
Amen, brother. There are no characters, just a bunch of pseudo-hip types. You forgot to mention Jason Bateman’s type, who pays another type $50 grand, yet we don’t know why and who for. Then the only other time Bateman is shown is to react to something on TV, and for no known reason he is wearing women’s underwear. It’s that kind of movie.