Smokin' Aces (2006)

Director:

Joe Carnahan

Writer (WGA):

Joe Carnahan (written by)

Release Date:

26 January 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

May the best hitman win.

Plot:

When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of people would like to make sure he's no longer breathing.

Plot Keywords:

Lake | FBI | Magician | Casino | FBI Agent

Awards:

4 wins

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Dec. 30

10:30 PM

USA

Cast

Ryan Reynolds	...	Richard Messner
Ray Liotta	...	Donald Carruthers
Joseph Ruskin	...	Primo Sparazza
Alex Rocco	...	Serna
Wayne Newton	...	Himself
Jeremy Piven	...	Buddy Israel
Ben Affleck	...	Jack Dupree
Peter Berg	...	"Pistol" Pete Deeks
Martin Henderson	...	Hollis Elmore
Common	...	Sir Ivy
Christopher Michael Holley	...	Beanie (as Christopher Holley)
Andy Garcia	...	Stanley Locke
Mike Falkow	...	Freeman Heller
Joe Drago	...	FBI Aid
Jeff Habberstad	...	Top Coated Gunman

Also Known As:

Mi$e à prix (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some nudity and drug use.

Runtime:

109 min | USA:108 min

Country:

UK | France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:18 | Netherlands:16 | Ireland:18 | Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-18 | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Australia:R | South Africa:16LV | Sweden:15 | USA:R (No. 41676) | Norway:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | New Zealand:R18 | Germany:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Denmark:15 | Japan:R-15 | Italy:VM14 | France:-12 | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Joe Carnahan]When Jack Dupree is talking about Buddy Israel it shows a bank robbery going on. For a split second you see a man with a beard and sunglasses leaning his back on a truck yelling out and holding a machine gun. This is Carnahan.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Just as Messner goes up in the elevator to see Locke at the Hospital, a reflection of a crew member is seen to far left wearing headphones.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Donald Carruthers: You've got to be careful when doing your stakeouts. I did one for... I was on one for six months. I gained, like, 20, 25 pounds. You keep eating this crap...
Richard Messner: Well, that's not my problem, though. I don't gain weight. I tried.
Donald Carruthers: That's 'cause your 12 years old.

Movie Connections:

References Chasing Amy (1997)

Soundtrack:

Save Yourself

Roller Coaster Ride

For the most part, this movie is like a white-knuckle roller-coaster ride: enthralling – almost exhilarating at times – while you're on it, but when you get off the memories are overshadowed by a bleeding nose, a pounding head and an aching hand from clutching the safety rail too tight. It isn't great movie-making, that's for sure, but neither is it holding itself out to be. It wants to be a fun ride, one that carries the viewer along and leaves them with no time to consider the inconsistencies until it has dumped them at the other end.

The first 10 minutes is all exposition, delivered at a breakneck pace that leaves your head spinning, but it's important to pay attention because the twist at the end (and it is, admittedly both a simultaneously outrageous and lame twist) is directly related to the information imparted in this opening sequence. We are introduced to a host of bizarre characters, seemingly culled from the likes of Mad Max, 60s spy spoofs, Goodfella-wannabes, and characters that Tarantino discarded because they just weren't quirky enough. It could all seem over-derivative, but the film somehow manages to pulse with its own manic brand of energy that sets it apart from most other films it might you remind you of.

Writer director Joe Carnahan injects some snappy one-liners amongst what passes for hip slang these days, and creates some unique characters – one can only wonder from where he dreamed up the hyperactive kung-fu kid with attitude who's dad has 'got some clarity issues. Did some home invasion, sodomy-torture type stuff, wrote a lot of bad cheques'. And while the pathos for which he reaches in the final reel isn't quite within his grasp, the finale is still just about strong enough to keep from letting the rest of the film down.