Smokin' Aces

Writer/director Joe Carnahan (the less than stellar Narc) was apparently going for a parody of an early ’70s, semi-blaxsploitation type of movie, with plenty of carnage and characters so stereotyped they could have come from Ralph Bakshi’s animation studio in a setup more cliched than the Spy Kids trilogy. He almost made it work, too, until a jarring turn to the serious at the climax nearly ruined all his good work.

Jeremy Piven is Vegas entertainer and friend of the mob Buddy “Aces” Israel and the title refers to a rumor that dying mafia chieftain Primo Sparazza wants his last act to be rubbing out Israel, with a $1 million bounty. See Buddy’s gotten a little too close to his criminal pals and crossed over into active participation, and when he gets caught decides to trade his inside knowledge for a free pass.

From the large cast, a few performances stand out. Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta are FBI agents, partners sent to get Aces from his Reno penthouse hideout as soon as the ink is dry on his deal. Alicia Keys and Davenia McFadden are a beautiful pair of hitters (and lovers); McFadden gets the biggest gun of all, a .50 caliber she sets up in a room in a hotel across the street facing Aces’ suite. Joel Edgerton is an assassin whose stock in trade is a mastery of disguise and mimicry, his Hugo about as different from his lead role in Kinky Boots (which is another one I missed writing up!) as I can imagine.

A 2.5 for the humor and confident action of the first 90 minutes. Points off for the last 15 minutes as well as driving home Buddy Israel’s sleaziness well beyond the necessary.

modestly recommended, if you like this kind of thing.