Directed by Joe Carnahan
by Chris Worthington
Smokin' Aces comes to us from writer/director Joe Carnahan. Some of you may remember him from his previous work in his critically acclaimed picture Narc. While Narc was a dark and straight-faced cop drama, Smokin' Aces moves away from the heavier tones of Carnahan's previous work. While significantly lighter than Narc, Carnahan's new film still deals with the issues of right and wrong when the bureaucracy of police (or in this case, the FBI) becomes involved.
Smokin' Aces tells the story of a wise-guy-turned-stoolpigeon, and the Feds and Assassins who are racing to get to him first. Carnahan's film has the feel of an almost Guy Richie-esque script, though he changes up the mix by adding in equal parts Hong Kong cop drama cinematography and almost grind house levels of violence. Clearly, Carnahan takes some of his cues from the same places Quentin Tarantino often turns to for inspiration. The highly stylized nature of the camera work and the use of violence tends to downplay what might otherwise be an off-putting level of gore. Interestingly, while Carnahan has no problem showing his audience a man using a blowtorch as a torture device, on-screen drug use appears faux pas for him. Though the use of drugs is heavily suggested in several scenes, drug use and even preparation are always kept off screen or obscured.
The reviewer for CNN.com referred to Smokin' Aces as "zippily pointless", but this characterization sells the film short. Throughout the movie, we see the characters say and do bad things for bad reasons, but in the end, Carnahan manages to maintain an impressive level of moral balance. Those who need to die do, and most of those who should not pull through. The success of the use of morality in the picture is really sold by the cast. Each member of the cast pulls his or her own weight (though Andy Garcia's accent could have used a bit more work), though Jeremy Piven, Common (one scene between the two in particular) and Ryan Reynolds give the most stand out performance. The number of characters involved in the movie's narrative can be a bit dizzying at first. But, Carnahan shows himself to be a talented writer and director by skillfully moving from plot to plot, using his varied characters to enhance his some times frenetic storytelling.
Smokin' Aces is definitely one to watch for anyone that isn't turned off by gore and vulgarity. It is fast, fun and a bit more thoughtful than one might think at first glance.
