Any action junkie who was a teenager during the mid-2000s has almost certainly seen Smokin’ Aces at least once, quite simply because Joe Carnahan’s breakthrough feature is so dementedly unhinged and stuffed with wall-to-wall shootouts that it was appointment viewing for an entire generation.
It also helps that the filmmaker assembled a cast that could most generously be described as preposterous given the thrifty $17 million budget and insane premise, with the murderer’s row of talent roping in Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine, Andy Garcia, Common, Alicia Keys, Taraji P. Henson, Jason Bateman, Matthew Fox, Joel Edgerton, Jeremy Piven, and countless more besides.
Trying to explain the plot to anyone who hasn’t witnessed Smokin’ Aces for themselves might take a little bit of time – and no shortage of confusion given that it ties itself in knots ladling twists on top of turns on top of revelations – but it’s definitely worth recommending provided the recommendee knows what they’re getting themselves in for.
It’s been over 15 years since the balls-to-the-wall action thriller first released, and on top of securing cult favorite status a long time ago, it’s also been making the rounds on streaming to win over a brand new set of viewers with its distinctly unique charms.
Per FlixPatrol, Smokin’ Aces is locked, loaded, and ready to unleash a hail of bullets on ViaPlay subscribers everywhere, although we can’t stress strongly enough that sequel Assassin’s Ball must be avoided at all costs, because it’s a truly terrible successor that lived up to its predecessor in name and nothing else.