Smokin' Aces

After a bit of time goes by that is diligently devoted to thinking, and after a second viewing, I finally came to like this film that is Carnahan's baby. It is true that the trailers promised something completely different, but the result is an entertaining stylistic film that is definitely currently above average (let's blame it on clever marketing this time). Mainly thanks to the perfect direction and excellent casting (Ryan Reynolds is great!), this rather disparate whole holds together quite well. Unfortunately, as is still apparent, Carnahan isn’t a great screenwriter (Buddy's existential drama), but he's more than adept as a craftsman (changing one cool camera unit after another, the actual shooting races). He definitely can’t be compared to Guy Ritchie because they are both playing on completely different fields. This film is a much crazier and at times twisted spectacle, which is certainly not boring, but it is true that when a director makes a pure action spectacle, those far beyond the borders of Hollywood will bow down to him. (03/30/2007)

Quentin Tarantino has meant a lot to American, but also to world cinema, while Guy Ritchie had a slightly smaller, but still significant influence on other artists and authors. His films are able to captivate simply because, together with violence and lines, they move at such a pace that not everyone can handle, but when it succeeds, it is truly an adrenaline ride. Many modern-day mafia members, slackers, and murderers who don't mean it as bad, but always find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Joe Carnahan also attempted something similar, such as with "RocknRolla", who recently impressed with the film adaptation of the series "A-Team" and some were less impressed, with the gritty horror film "The Grey" that is held above water primarily by the great Liam Neeson. "Smokin' Aces" is a film that revolves around one guy, his murders, money, and other important things. We have an incredible number of characters here, which don't completely blend together and you are able to distinguish them from each other. However, it doesn't change the fact that the film is overloaded, and a simple plot is turned into a gritty theater, where it succeeds in occasionally delivering great lines, and you occasionally shudder at how brutal a scene was. It spares no blood, and in the end, it's truly quite a massacre. Chris Pine has an interesting character that fits him more than, say, his agent in the film "This Means War!" The film can captivate you, but still, after it ends, you will have that strange feeling of asking yourself: "What was it actually about for those whole two hours?" More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/11/sahara-stormbreaker-syriana-andelsky.html (03/02/2013)

On one hand, it's unnecessarily long and drawn out, yet on the other hand, there are excellent acting performances (led by the cool Ben Affleck), great individual scenes, excellent action, and disarming stylization. What is unforgivable, however, is the weak story that is so piecemeal that it is a) impossible to navigate and b) almost completely unengaging. Carnahan has talent but it would be better if he made movies based on screenplays by someone else. (07/14/2007)

Director Carnahan beat screenwriter Carnahan in a short sprint by several lengths. The first two acts are an audiovisual ride with some fresh ideas, in the style of Ritchie's best flicks, but towards the end, the engine of the sports car stutters in such a way that it parks in a garage with a sign saying "Reynolds' Fateful Drama" and slowly dies there. If they had let the sports car go past the finish line and not stepped on the brake, it would have been worth four medals. (01/09/2008)

Smokin’ Aces is essentially just another variation on the music-video-inspired crime flick in the style of Guy Ritchie that won’t surprise you with anything new. However, the adrenaline-fuelled dynamics and the exposition of the bad guys are at a high level, and if the film had a slightly slower build-up with a more thorough introduction of the characters, the bloodbath climax could have not only faked BIG EMOTIONS, but actually evoked them. And then it would rank among the better gangster cult movies. Joe Carnahan’s slapdash dramaturgy weakens the impression that the film makes as a whole and leaves “only” the visual/editing treats (something similar could perhaps be said about the first Kill Bill, but that film has the benefit of Tarantino’s more original concept). (01/17/2007)