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STORY STUDY -MEDIUM: FILM - “Smokin’ Aces”

Jeffrey Tung
Jun 19, 2017
2 min read

When you’re an FBI agent who overhears that your assignment has a 1 million dollar bounty on their head, you know it’s not going to be a standard assignment.

Directed and written by Joe Carnahan, Smokin’ Aces is about two FBI agents, Messner and Carruthers, tasked to bring in Las Vegas magician and rising mob boss Buddy “Aces” Israel, who’s been in negotiations with the FBI for a potential immunity deal. Veteran mob boss, and Israel's mentor, Primo Sparazza, retaliates and issues a 1 million dollar bounty on Israel, with the stipulation that they “bring [him] his heart.”

The bounty attracts the craziest hitmen out there. These assassins include master-of-disguise Lazlo Soot...

Sharice and Georgia, the former who uses a .50 caliber M82 sniper gun...

torture expert Pasquale Acosta...

and finally, the psychotic neo-Nazi Tremor Brothers.

The film is a slow buildup to when the all of these characters face off each other to hunt for Israel, who’s hiding out in a Lake Tahoe hotel penthouse.

Needless to say, there’s going to be plenty of dead bodies by the end of it.

Smokin’ Aces clearly establishes who the protagonists are, but the film also explores Israel and the assassins as well. We see how each of them infiltrates the hotel that Israel is in, and some internal conflict between Israel and his second-in-command, Ivy. Does that mean that the film explores each character, showcasing their complexity and intrigue? Unfortunately, no.

Buddy Israel is an obnoxious jerk, Soot and Acosta are just cold-hearted in their actions, and the Tremor Brothers are just crazy, though they are entertaining to watch, even if what they do involves a lot of killing and bloodshed. I feel that Georgia and Sharice have a little more complexity, Georgia mentioning that she doesn’t want to accidently shoot any innocent women when on the mission (guess what happens?). Make no mistake; ALL of the assassins are in it for the money.

Oh, and let’s not forget about the director of Hancock, Batman, and the guy from Torque.

Yeah, there’s another group of characters I didn’t mention: three bail bondsmen who are hired by their firm to bring in Israel.

Why didn’t I mention them earlier? Because ultimately, they add nothing to the overall story, except, without giving too much away, adding to a subplot with the Tremor Brothers.

Smokin’ Aces is an action movie with funny moments, thanks in part to Ryan Reynolds’ in-character sarcastic comments and the Tremor Brothers’ over-the-top performances. And when the action hits, it’s loud, fast paced and thrilling.

I remember wanting the watch the film when I watched the trailer, but never got to see it in the theaters. However, I did finally catch it on HBO.

Is Smokin’ Aces predictable when you’re paying attention to the plot details? Probably. Are the characters fun to watch? Some of them. Is the action cool? Yes, but it takes a while to get there. Like I said, it’s a slow buildup type of film that leads to an explosive climax.

And sometimes, that’s all you really need to be entertained.