Smokin’ Aces is a tricky beast;  albeit a hyperkinetic, manic-panic monstrosity of celluloid viscera sort of beast.  I suppose if it is apt to refer to Smokin’ Aces as a chimeran cinematic experience, then Joe Carnahan is its Dr. Frankenstein.  After a directing hiatus(far too long as far as I’m concerned) following the impressive Narc and brief attachment to Mission Impossible 3, Joe Carnahan is back and he’s on a mission…what that mission is, comes later.  While it doesn’t stand on its own compared to Narc(which by all means it shouldn’t), even on its own merits this is a flawed mess of a movie.  But  at the very least, it’s an exciting and ultimately enjoyable mess.

 Now, by no means is this a failure of a movie , but I wouldn’t refer to it as a flawed masterpiece either.  Its cinematic limbo can be best described as a beautiful mess, quite enjoyable in its own right but just can’t seem to get out of its own way.  Although, the cast attached to the movie is in a league of its own.   The veritable potpourri consists of Daredevil, the director of Rundown, Michael Bluth, Booger from Revenge of the Nerds, Ari from Entourage, Common, Alicia Keys, Ray Liotta, Andy Garcia, the “it’s hard out here for a pimp” girl from Hustle and Flow, a mustachioed Jack from Lost, and Van Wilder.  It’s not hard to see why such a talented cast was pooled together for this movie.  The dialogue is sharp and you can tell the cast is enjoying itself due to the infectious enthusiasm of the cast’s interaction.  A common criticism critics are latching onto is the supposed aping of Tarantino-style dialogue.  Now this assumption can be attributed to intellectual laziness or outright ignorance.  While Tarantino dialogue has a clear cadence and rhythm, the dialogue shares more similarities with Altman in terms of this overlapping, and to put it crudely, messiness.  As for the dialogue content, meaning the small talk on the eve of violent situations and a cavalier attitude toward a morbid environment, this style is about as old as noir itself.  Suffice to say, the dialogue is snappy and natural, but does veer off into unfettered eccentricity every once in a while.  As for the acting itself, it is uniformly great all around.  The simmering psychosis of Soot, the madcap whimsy of the Tremor Bros., to the surprisingly strong performances form Alicia Keys and Common are all great performances.  The two shining lights of the movie are Jeremy Piven and Ryan Reynolds.  Jeremy Piven excels in his portrayal of a man in the throes of self-destruction brings a surprising amount of pathos to character whose life revolves around illusion and will go to any lengths to experience the harshest and most depraved levels of morality.  Ryan Reynolds proves to be extremely capable with his natural charm and steady, but chilling descent into disillusionment.

 As for the action, Smokin’ Aces fires on all cylinders.  Although, it would be best not to come in expecting ballet-like shootouts or old-fashioned fisticuffs.  Make no mistake the violence is visceral and unflinching.  Death is dealt by a cornucopia of demi-gods of destruction.  The methods of mayhem include an enormous sniper rifle, a sleeve spike, and what self-respecting action movie could exist without a chainsaw?    The editing and pacing also greatly complement the movie with nary a slow moment and with so many characters milling about, the editing does an admirable job of juggling the threads, despite a couple hiccups in the scenes that could’ve benefited from sustained tension.  All in all, the movie is a great deal of fun to watch, with a great cast of well-written characters and great action set pieces that’s hard not to enjoy.

 Now, is it a good movie?  In short, the answer is a resounding no.  Aside from a couple editing missteps during the lead-up to the climax, the major setback to the movie is its identity crisis.  While it is hardly unheard of for a movie to balance comedy, action, and drama into a cohesive experience, the progress is a little too stilted to flow naturally from one end of the spectrum to the other.  Ultimately, the unnatural flow hurts the tail-end of the movie and unfortunately this affects a great deal of resonance that could have helped the movie.  The stock twist ending is starting to get a little stale.  It seems that every crime movie just has to have a “killer” twist ending.  While there’s nothing inherently wrong with a twist ending, I feel it’s best utilized as a device that alters the way a movie is viewed the second and third time around. Unfortunately, the one twist that does alter the nature of the movie and adds weight to the assassination attempt is brought down by the awkward transition to the more serious side of the film.  The other twist doesn’t add much to the movie at all.  Maybe it’s just the presentation of the twist is what irks me.  The flashbacks and melodramatic music is about as subtle as a jackhammer and is designed to give the viewer the sense that what they’ve just seen is monumental, when in this movie it’s just not the case.  Also, while the movie is quite enjoyable because of its devil-may-care disregard for the norm, a particular scene involving a Nevadan redneck and her psychotic add-ridden child is just a skoche over the top.

 In the end, how you feel about the concept of the movie will probably determine how you feel about the movie.  If you don’t care for it then you’ll come away thinking it’s overblown, childish, and vapid.  If you dig it then, you’ll walk away with an exciting and thoroughly enjoyable experience.  So, if you enter the movie not expecting a “good” movie, per se, but in turn expect a unpretentious bundle of whimsical carnage, then a good time will be had.

Grade: C+
- Jacob