By Carl Zielinski

Gargoyle staff reporter


Posted Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007, The OG, arts

WHEN I WALKED into the theater to see “Smokin' Aces,” I was expecting the insanely entertaining, incredibly dumbed-down gore-fest action movie that the commercials advertised.

Instead, what I got was … confusing, if I had to pick a word for it.

In a nutshell, the plot revolves around the $1 million bounty put on Buddy “Aces” Israel (Jeremy Piven) by mob boss Primo Sparazza (Joseph Ruskin). As Israel has decided to testify against Sparazza, FBI agents Richard Messner (Ryan Reynolds) and Donald Carruthers (Ray Liotta) are sent to protect him.

Understandably, the large bounty attracts a suitably large number of contract killers. Most of the film's appeal ends up coming from these diverse and unstable individuals, who add flavor to what could have been nothing but a cookie-cutter killing spree.

My personal favorites would have to be the three-man team known as “The Tremors” (Chris Pine, Kevin Durand, and Maury Sterling), a group of neo-Nazi berserkers wielding chainsaws and shotguns. A close second might be the ultrafeminist team of Georgia Skyes (Alicia Keys) and Sharice Watters (Taraji Henson), whose devotion to each other is the most genuinely emotional feature the film can boast.

However, the complexity of the bounty hunters is also part of the film's downfall: The characters are simply too strange to portray any reality. The shape-shifting killer known only as “The Swede” is simply so cool about vicious murder that every scene he is in carries a gritty, sadistic quality that is unsettling, to say the least.

My main complaint with the movie is that it goes back and forth between serious, silly, and utterly bizarre so quickly that it's difficult to know how to react. While a large portion of the violence is typical, ramification-free action movie fare, the level of cold-blooded brutality in a number of scenes effectively wipes away any entertainment the otherwise fine action sequences could have had.

In the end, it's an interesting touch that, whether intentional or not, makes a firm statement about the lack of humor in life. In the end, the widespread violence claims everyone, leaving no one unscathed. The fact that there is only one character who can pass as a “good guy” only adds to the grim semireality of the situation because, similar to real life, nobody can claim to be a beacon of perfection.

Overall, the acting isn't extraordinary, but the film can easily support itself based on the far-flung personalities of the various hitmen and members of Israel's entourage. Piven's portrayal of Israel, however, outshines most of the cast. While his lines are very few, and usually revolve around his extreme narcissism, the sheer anguish he expresses as his world collapses around him brings an otherwise convoluted plot down to earth.

Director Joe Carnahan's experience directing the film “Narc” undoubtedly influenced his portrayal of the ultraviolent melee, as the story of dirty cops involved in the drug business is suitably grim. Less noticeable is Liotta's experience from that earlier film, as his part mainly involves dying in a violent struggle with a disturbed bounty killer.

If you want an easygoing, straightforward action film, rent something like “Conan the Barbarian,” because “Smokin' Aces” is anything but simple. The violence, acting, and surprising plot twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan scratch his head combine into a confusing, mostly enjoyable film.

“Smokin' Aces” is now playing at the Beverly Cinema 18 (click here for times) and the Savoy 16 (click here for times). Runtime: 109 minutes. Rated: R.

RELATED

— The film's official site