Smokin' Aces

Watching the film, I felt like I was on a roller coaster - my sympathies alternated between 4 and 2 stars, meaning that this film is simply inconsistent. It was probably supposed to be a film in the style of Guy Ritchie's crazy gangster films, but it differs from his famous hits in that it doesn't stick to the style - simply put, the script fluctuates between crazy style with insanely cool characters and serious situations. The script is just such a strange mishmash, where a guy shot by automatic weapons, who looks like he'll be lying in the hospital for a few months, stands in front of a hotel with a bandaged hand in a few hours and is clearly inclined to have a stylish chat with his killer. That is exactly what doesn't sit well with me in films of this kind and why I eventually decided on a lower rating. However, the direction is stylishly energetic and quite skillful, which helps overshadow the problematic script. Overall impression: 45%. (30/10/2010)

On one hand, it's unnecessarily long and drawn out, yet on the other hand, there are excellent acting performances (led by the cool Ben Affleck), great individual scenes, excellent action, and disarming stylization. What is unforgivable, however, is the weak story that is so piecemeal that it is a) impossible to navigate and b) almost completely unengaging. Carnahan has talent but it would be better if he made movies based on screenplays by someone else. (14/07/2007)

Quentin Tarantino has meant a lot to American, but also to world cinema, while Guy Ritchie had a slightly smaller, but still significant influence on other artists and authors. His films are able to captivate simply because, together with violence and lines, they move at such a pace that not everyone can handle, but when it succeeds, it is truly an adrenaline ride. Many modern-day mafia members, slackers, and murderers who don't mean it as bad, but always find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Joe Carnahan also attempted something similar, such as with "RocknRolla", who recently impressed with the film adaptation of the series "A-Team" and some were less impressed, with the gritty horror film "The Grey" that is held above water primarily by the great Liam Neeson. "Smokin' Aces" is a film that revolves around one guy, his murders, money, and other important things. We have an incredible number of characters here, which don't completely blend together and you are able to distinguish them from each other. However, it doesn't change the fact that the film is overloaded, and a simple plot is turned into a gritty theater, where it succeeds in occasionally delivering great lines, and you occasionally shudder at how brutal a scene was. It spares no blood, and in the end, it's truly quite a massacre. Chris Pine has an interesting character that fits him more than, say, his agent in the film "This Means War!" The film can captivate you, but still, after it ends, you will have that strange feeling of asking yourself: "What was it actually about for those whole two hours?" More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/11/sahara-stormbreaker-syriana-andelsky.html (02/03/2013)

My opinion of this film hasn’t changed even after all those years since I saw it for the first time. Joe Carnahan seemed like a schizophrenic - while a part of him wrote and directed quality action scenes and managed to add a good dose of humor to this crime thriller, the other part added many illogicalities, unnecessary dialogue and an inner struggle of the goody-goody main character. But I must say that the role of a puppet was the best I've seen from Ben Affleck so far. (23/04/2020)

Smokin’ Aces is essentially just another variation on the music-video-inspired crime flick in the style of Guy Ritchie that won’t surprise you with anything new. However, the adrenaline-fuelled dynamics and the exposition of the bad guys are at a high level, and if the film had a slightly slower build-up with a more thorough introduction of the characters, the bloodbath climax could have not only faked BIG EMOTIONS, but actually evoked them. And then it would rank among the better gangster cult movies. Joe Carnahan’s slapdash dramaturgy weakens the impression that the film makes as a whole and leaves “only” the visual/editing treats (something similar could perhaps be said about the first Kill Bill, but that film has the benefit of Tarantino’s more original concept). (17/01/2007)