Smokin' Aces

7/10. Saw this yesterday afternoon at the Alhambra in Bern.

I suppose it's inevitable that every crime movie with a certain amount of energy & attitude be referred to as Tarantinoesque. But not only is this kind of criticism lazy & unhelpful, in the case of Smokin' Aces, it's more or less just wrong.

One thing I dislike about Tarantino's movies is the way the violence he portrays often doesn't have an impact on his characters. (An exception to this is the terrific Jackie Brown.) Yet although Smokin' Aces does feature a certain amount of kinetic bloodletting, it regularly slows down to examine the effect this has on both the victims & the perpetrators. And while the plot's unnecessarily convoluted, and the bit that passes for a twist I saw coming very early on, this one's worth seeing.

On the acting front, Ryan Reynolds acquits himself well here; I hope this is the beginning of him taking himself & his career a bit more seriously. Jeremy Piven, Alicia Keys & rapper Common also impress; and Jason Bateman & Matthew Fox pop up for brief scene-stealing turns.