Thoughts on Smokin' Aces...
I checked it out last weekend. Several competing assassins, all on contract are out to waste a very specific target named Israel, holed up in a penthouse in a hotel in Tahoe. Alongside with this race is the FBI, keeping tabs on what Israel -- now a coke-ridden derelict -- could be doing next. The assassins involved ranged from methodical killers to a bunch of deranged neo-Nazis.
From my POV, the flick's style reminds me all too much of what Soderbergh and Tarantino accomplished back in the 90s, when they represented the attitude of indie cinema, when the words "hip and stylish" was then the byword. Gritty, noirish, and that "pulp" feeling. There's also some influence I'm seeing from those ol' Chow Yun Fat/John Woo movies I used to see.
But Smokin'... well, substance-wise, it carries only the fraction of the so-called "hipness" of Pulp Fiction and Ocean's 11... I wished for a little depth yet some clarity at the same time.
And about the only few things I really liked in the flick was the soundtrack, iron-packin' Alicia Keys, who seems to be a ringer for Uma Thurman, and her .50 caliber Barrett-toting partner. :))
Rating: 7/10
From my POV, the flick's style reminds me all too much of what Soderbergh and Tarantino accomplished back in the 90s, when they represented the attitude of indie cinema, when the words "hip and stylish" was then the byword. Gritty, noirish, and that "pulp" feeling. There's also some influence I'm seeing from those ol' Chow Yun Fat/John Woo movies I used to see.
But Smokin'... well, substance-wise, it carries only the fraction of the so-called "hipness" of Pulp Fiction and Ocean's 11... I wished for a little depth yet some clarity at the same time.
And about the only few things I really liked in the flick was the soundtrack, iron-packin' Alicia Keys, who seems to be a ringer for Uma Thurman, and her .50 caliber Barrett-toting partner. :))
Rating: 7/10