I’ve been waiting to see this one for a few weeks now, ever since Spike TV started flooding their airwaves with its trailer. Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m minding my own business watching Star Trek TNG, and still I get bombarded by the same testosterone (I hope) coated advertisements that anyone watching World’s Wildest Police Videos would experience. I guess it worked anyway, because I’m a sucker for action comedies. Unfortunately, I arrived a few minutes late, and the best seat I could get was in the very front to the very side. But at least I was with the people, and not sitting in my ivory press row. I think the contact high I got from the dude sitting next to me canceled out the negative effects of my horrible seating.

There’s a lot of gunfire, blood, explosions, and even a chainsaw in this flick, but there’s even more story hiding behind all of that. Buddy “Aces” Israel (Piven) wanted to play the gangster game. Following the mythology of Frank Sinatra, he went from a Vegas act to a Mafia star. Unfortunately, he’s got no class, no principles, and no skill. As such, he gets caught and tries to strike a deal that could put everyone in organized crime behind bars. This brings a million-dollar contract on Israel (oddly it’s on his heart and not his head). Hitmen by the dozen make their way to Vegas. There’s a trio of neo-Nazi berserkers, a pair of women distinguished by booty and a Barrett Light .50 sniper rifle, a calculating and devoted Latin man, a brilliant and quick-witted mimic, and a mysterious Swede. Two Feds in charge of Israel’s protection, Agent’s Caruthers and Messner (Liotta and Reynolds) soon find themselves knee-deep in murderers and mayhem. Meanwhile, the Deputy Director of the FBI (Garcia) receives a special document unearthed from hidden archives that turns this case on its head.

There are a lot of ways this movie could have gone wrong. With so many storylines, the plot could have been a tangled mess, but instead it weaved into a clever web. The intrigue behind so many hitmen finding a way to Israel’s suite could have made no sense, but again it turned out to be clever (and sometimes hilarious). The action could have been overblown or stupidly violent, but there were no wires or blown-up heads to ruin the action-comedy experience. In fact, the scene where the grizzled Fed realizes that he’s sharing an elevator with a renowned assassin happens to be the best shot firefight I’ve ever seen. Lastly, Ben Affleck could have played a more prominent role, but fortunately he was the first to go (see Steven Seagal and Executive Decision). The comedy was a little light on Smokin’ Aces, but there’s nothing really wrong with that. It’s action first, intrigue second, and comedy third. All of the funny material seemed condensed into a one-eyed kid hopped-up on Ritalin wearing a karate uniform and a rising sun headband.

All in all, this is a good’un. If you liked The Big Hit, you’ll love Smokin’ Aces.

—Duncan Wright