Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel decides to turn state's evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of people would like to make sure he's no longer breathing.
Smokin' Aces is a flashy, hyperkinetic crime ensemble that delivers chaotic fun through a colorful cast of hitmen and law enforcement converging on a Vegas hotel. The plot is reasonably inventive in its setup and juggles multiple threads with decent energy, though it strains under its own complexity. The ensemble cast — including Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Ben Affleck, and Jeremy Piven — perform competently if unevenly. Cinematography is slick and stylish in a mid-2000s Guy Ritchie-influenced way without quite achieving that level. The novelty is moderate: the multi-hitman convergence concept has been done, and the film borrows heavily from Tarantino and Ritchie without adding a truly distinctive voice. The ending is its weakest element — a tonal swerve into grim seriousness that feels jarring and unearned after the film's gleeful mayhem, leaving audiences more confused than satisfied.