Scan and Pan
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Smokin' Aces
Buddy "Aces" Israel, a Las Vegas stage magician turned mobster, makes a mistake and his only way out is to turn FBI informer against Mafia boss Primo Sparazza. Sparazza responds by placing a one million dollar hit on Israel with the stipulation that Israel's heart be cut out and delivered to him. Israel is holed up in a Lake Tahoe hotel penthouse, but soon finds himself the target of FBI agents trying to bring him in, bounty hunters working for an attorney, and a motley crew of assassins who want to kill him and claim the million dollar prize.
Writer/director Joe Carnahan (Narc) serves up a stylish crime thriller stew of violence, dark humor, and eccentric characters. It doesn't play out at quite the high level of a Quentin Tarantino film or last year's similar in style Lucky Number Slevin, but that doesn't stop it from providing nearly two hours worth of satisfying mayhem. The script has twists and turns enough to keep you watching to see who lives and who dies, although one major revelation at the end is telegraphed fairly early on. The plot holes are mostly obscured by the frenetic pace set by Carnahan and editor Robert Frazen (The Great New Wonderful). Cinematographer Mauro Fiore (Get Carter, Training Day) is aware of the conventions of this cinematic sub-genre and puts them across with flair. Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) contributes a hip score that's just what's needed.
What really sells the film is the cast. Everyone is perfectly in character and they're plainly having fun with their roles, including Jeremy Piven as Israel, Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta as the FBI agents, Andy Garcia as the FBI's deputy director who knows a secret about Sparazza, Alicia Keys and Taraji P. Henson as a duo of female assassins, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, and Martin Henderson as the bounty hunters, Curtis Armstrong as Israel's manager, Joel Edgerton as Israel's Eastern European bodyguard, rapper Common as Israel's right hand man, Jason Bateman as the neurotic attorney who hires the bounty hunters, Matthew Fox as the hotel's security chief, Chris Pine, Kevin Durand, and Maury Sterling as three psychotic redneck punk brothers who kill for fun, Nestor Carbonell as an infamous Central American assassin impersonating an FBI agent, and Tommy Flanagan as a hitman with a penchant for disguises.
There really isn't a point to it beyond the body count, but it's two hours of entertaining mayhem with a good cast and a nice dose of dark humor. I liked it.
What it lacks in redeeming social value, it makes up for in entertainment value.
Buddy "Aces" Israel, a Las Vegas stage magician turned mobster, makes a mistake and his only way out is to turn FBI informer against Mafia boss Primo Sparazza. Sparazza responds by placing a one million dollar hit on Israel with the stipulation that Israel's heart be cut out and delivered to him. Israel is holed up in a Lake Tahoe hotel penthouse, but soon finds himself the target of FBI agents trying to bring him in, bounty hunters working for an attorney, and a motley crew of assassins who want to kill him and claim the million dollar prize.
Writer/director Joe Carnahan (Narc) serves up a stylish crime thriller stew of violence, dark humor, and eccentric characters. It doesn't play out at quite the high level of a Quentin Tarantino film or last year's similar in style Lucky Number Slevin, but that doesn't stop it from providing nearly two hours worth of satisfying mayhem. The script has twists and turns enough to keep you watching to see who lives and who dies, although one major revelation at the end is telegraphed fairly early on. The plot holes are mostly obscured by the frenetic pace set by Carnahan and editor Robert Frazen (The Great New Wonderful). Cinematographer Mauro Fiore (Get Carter, Training Day) is aware of the conventions of this cinematic sub-genre and puts them across with flair. Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) contributes a hip score that's just what's needed.
What really sells the film is the cast. Everyone is perfectly in character and they're plainly having fun with their roles, including Jeremy Piven as Israel, Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta as the FBI agents, Andy Garcia as the FBI's deputy director who knows a secret about Sparazza, Alicia Keys and Taraji P. Henson as a duo of female assassins, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, and Martin Henderson as the bounty hunters, Curtis Armstrong as Israel's manager, Joel Edgerton as Israel's Eastern European bodyguard, rapper Common as Israel's right hand man, Jason Bateman as the neurotic attorney who hires the bounty hunters, Matthew Fox as the hotel's security chief, Chris Pine, Kevin Durand, and Maury Sterling as three psychotic redneck punk brothers who kill for fun, Nestor Carbonell as an infamous Central American assassin impersonating an FBI agent, and Tommy Flanagan as a hitman with a penchant for disguises.
There really isn't a point to it beyond the body count, but it's two hours of entertaining mayhem with a good cast and a nice dose of dark humor. I liked it.
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