Smoking Aces

I had high hopes for this movie. I was thinking Godfather with Pulp Fiction style. Man, was I WAY OFF. Smoking Aces is a crime movie about a hit taken out on a "wanna be" mobster/turn coat. Here is the basic problem. The movie is focused on a bunch of hit men that come together in a hotel. It is like a race to get to this guy. The whole movie wraps around this point. The rest of the movie is just there as filler. The mark is just there as a plot device, you don't feel invested in it at all. I didn't care if he lived or died. This is part of the problem with no investment, I was just like, "Blah, I just wanna see something go boom"! The mob mystery really just bookends the movie. I can hear the conversations now.

Hollywood Exec 1: "Oh crap, we have this center of a movie that we have filmed with these neat characters, and now we better make up something to go around it".

Hollywood Exec 2: "Ooo, I know we'll get some big name actors and pepper them through out the movie and it will all be okay"!

Another words the talents of Andy Garcia are wasted, along with Ray Liotta. Seems like this was done for the paycheck. Heck everyone's talents were wasted. Not to mention an aside in the middle of the movie at a trailer with a hyped up kid. The one thing I liked was the style and the cool characters. You could literally just watch 10 or 15 minuted in the middle and be done with the movie.

The Good:
Stylized action peppered with unique characters.

The Bad:
The plot, time line, you just don't care. The movie is basically there to show off some neat assassins.

Comments:
One other thing, there are a lot of survivors. If a sequel is in the works, please spend some time on the plot. This could have been something great.

Recommendations:
Rent it. Sit with the Fast Forward Button. Watch the sh*t hit the fan. Return!