| Smokin' Aces |
|
| Directed by |
Joe Carnahan |
| Produced by |
Tim Bevan |
| Written by |
Joe Carnahan |
| Starring |
Ryan Reynolds
Jeremy Piven
Ray Liotta
Alicia Keys
Andy Garcia
Ben Affleck
Jason Bateman
Common
Peter Berg
Martin Henderson
Taraji P. Henson |
| Music by |
Clint Mansell |
| Distributed by |
Universal |
| Release date(s) |
January 12, 2007 [1]
January 26, 2007 |
| Running time |
108 min. |
| IMDb profile |
Smokin' Aces is a film written and directed by Joe Carnahan. An action-comedy set in Lake Tahoe and primarily shot at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa (though renamed the "Nomad Casino"), it marks Carnahan's first feature film after Narc. It stars Ryan Reynolds and Jeremy Piven as the leads, with Piven as a washed-up magician and big time mob-informant and Reynolds as the FBI agent assigned to protect him from assassins. It is the feature film debut of Alicia Keys and rapper Common.
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Contents
- 1 Plot
- 2 Cast
- 3 Music
- 4 External links
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Plot
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The film follows FBI agents Richard Messner (Ryan Reynolds) and Donald Carruthers (Ray Liotta) and a series of rival assassins as they hunt down Las Vegas magician Buddy "Aces" Israel (Jeremy Piven).
Messner and Carruthers are staking out the house of Mafia boss Primo Sparazza (Joseph Ruskin) when it is revealed — by one of Sparazza's accomplices — that Sparazza has put a one-million-dollar bounty on Israel's head, and hired a "specialist" known only as "the Swede" to bring him Buddy's heart. FBI director Stanley Locke (Andy Garcia) explains that Sparazza brought Israel into the Mafia, but Israel let his new-found power go to his head, and caused a rift. Sparazza, on his deathbed, wants Israel dead. However, the FBI want to offer Israel refuge in exchange for information. Locke also explains that Sparazza was responsible for the contract-killing of former FBI agent Freeman Heller (Mike Falkow).
Sparazza's accomplice Victor "Baby Buzz" Padiche (David Proval) hires Georgia Sykes (Alicia Keys) and Sharice Watters (Taraji P. Henson) to bring in Israel. At the same time, lawyer Rupert "Rip" Reed (Jason Bateman) hires bail bondsman Jack Dupree (Ben Affleck) and ex-cops Hollis Elmore (Martin Henderson) and "Pistol" Pete Deeks (Peter Berg) to bring Buddy back to Vegas. Dupree outlines their potential competition as master-of-disguise Lazlo Soot (Tommy Flanagan), torturer Pasquale Acosta (Nestor Carbonell) and neo-Nazi siblings The Tremors (Chris Pine, Kevin Durand and Maury Sterling).
Israel is staying at a hotel in Lake Tahoe along with his three bodyguards, Sir Ivy (Common), Beanie (Christopher Michael Holley) and Hugo Croop (Joel Edgerton). He is negotiating with his lawyer Morris Mecklen (Curtis Armstrong) over the details of his deal with the FBI. The two FBI agents and the assassins head to the hotel to find Buddy Israel, and a huge melee ensues, during which Jeeves and Lester Tremor are killed by Sir Ivy, Beanie and Croop are killed by Soot (with Soot taking on the guise of Croop), and Agent Carruthers is killed by Acosta. Messner confronts Locke about the nature of the operation, demanding an explanation for the events.
Cast
| Actor |
Role |
| Ryan Reynolds |
Richard Messner |
| Jeremy Piven |
Buddy "Aces" Israel |
| Ben Affleck |
Jack Dupree |
| Andy Garcia |
Stanley Locke |
| Alicia Keys |
Georgia Sykes |
| Jason Bateman |
Rupert "Rip" Reed |
| Ray Liotta |
Donald Carruthers |
| Peter Berg |
"Pistol" Pete Deeks |
| Martin Henderson |
Hollis Elmore |
| Common |
Sir Ivy |
| Taraji P. Henson |
Sharice Watters |
| Kevin Durand |
Jeeves Tremor |
| David Proval |
Victor "Baby Buzz" Padiche |
| Brian Bloom |
Agent Baker |
| Joseph Ruskin |
Primo Sparazza |
| Matthew Fox |
Bill Security Super |
| Chris Pine |
Darwin Tremor |
Music
The main song that play during the teaser trailer is "Artifact" by DJ Shadow.
