There are certainly shades of Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" all through Joe Carnihan's "Smokin' Aces" (Universal), as well as nods to Guy Ritchie and Martin Scorsese, but that doesn't mean the movie's not enjoyable on its own merits. It just requires a touch of patience and a lack of skepticism.
The film starts off slowly, with each of the main characters being introduced via amusing vignettes, but like a Six Flags rollercoaster, once it gets over that first climb, hold onto all your personal belongings because the s--t's about to fly.
In "Smokin' Aces," a magician turned high stakes gangster, Buddy Israel (Jeremy Piven), is getting ready to turn state's evidence and testify against his former boss Primo Sparazza (Joseph Ruskin). So, the Mafia puts a $1 million bounty out for Israel, and attracts a host of hired guns, including bail bondsman Jack Dupree (Ben Affleck) (Don't worry, he dies early on), some crazed Nazi punks, a pair of African American hit women (one played by Alicia Keys) and a mysterious and brutal Swedish assasin.
In addition to facing off against the FBI in a series of incredibly violent, fast-paced scenes, the hit men also take aim at one another with hidden knives, pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles, even a portable missile launcher. The plot gets confusing at times and it's sometimes not entirely clear who's killing who. There's also a major plot twist that doesn't entirely make sense, as well as a bit of a morality lesson that has left some viewers feeling ripped off. But if you're willing to suspend disbelief, strap into your seat and enjoy the bumpy ride; you'll exit breathless.
Other new films of note:
Deadlands: The Rising (Splatter Rampage/Tempe) Following a television and telephone blackout, a terrorist strike on the Nation's Capital leaves the region in a state of disarray. Before the smoke has time to clear, the dead become zombies and, of course, start to eat and infect the living. This independent homage to George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" trilogy has a lot of heart, and some cool bloodspillage, but seems to have lacked the budget to completely convey director Gary Ugarek's vision. At just under an hour, it's not exactly a full-length motion picture and after establishing a direction, the movie ends apruptly. It's a shame becuase there's plenty here to like. The cinemaphotography is effectively eerie, the music is enjoyably metallic and the makeup and gore effects are pretty convincing. Also, the editing is sharp and even the acting is acceptable. There's no question that a lot of hard work went into "Deadlands: The Rising," and we'll happily check out Ugarek's next offering, which will hopefully provide the necessary payoff this one lacks.
Sombre (Koch Lorber) Warning: This isn't your standard serial killer flick. It's more like a moody art film in which the main character just happens to be a mass murderer. As such, there's very little dialog, no jack-in-the-box scares and no graphic splatter. Still this controversial thriller by French director Philippe Grandrieux is incredibly unsettling and pretty compelling. Shot mostly in low lighting with surreal, unconventional camera work, the movie uses disturbing imagery to tell a story about a conflicted man who roams the French countryside picking up prostitutes and barmaids, having sex with them, then strangling them. Along his trails, he picks up a stranded motorist, brings her to her sister's house and proceeds to terrorize both. Strangely, one falls in love with him and he reciprocates as best he can. But both discover that removing a tiger's stripes doesn't turn it into a kitty cat.
