Follow @screenit

"SMOKIN' ACES" (2007) (Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Extreme Extreme *Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy None Mild Mild Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Moderate Minor Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Drama/Action: After an aged mobster puts out a contract on his rival turned government informant, FBI agents try to keep the snitch alive as various hitmen and others arrive in hopes of collecting the bounty on him. PLOT: Buddy "Aces" Israel (JEREMY PIVEN) is a former Vegas magician turned mafioso who's had a falling out with his aged and ailing mentor Primo Sparazza (JOSEPH RUSKIN). Accordingly, the latter puts out a $1 million dollar contract on Buddy, a point that doesn't sit well with FBI Deputy Director Stanley Locke (ANDY GARCIA) or the two agents, Donald Carruthers (RAY LIOTTA) and Richard Messner (RYAN REYNOLDS), he has investigating them. Yet, Buddy would seem to be safe considering the feds have him locked inside the penthouse of a casino high-rise, surrounded by his own bodyguards -- Sir Ivy (COMMON), Hugo (JOEL EDGERTON) and Bernard "Beanie" Alfonso (CHRISTOPHER HOLLEY) -- on the inside, and various cops out in the hallway. Word, however, has quickly spread about the lucrative bounty on Buddy's head and heart, thus drawing the attention of various hitmen and other unsavory types looking to make a figurative and literal killing. There's former cop turned bounty hunter Jack Dupree (BEN AFFLECK) and his two associates, "Pistol" Pete Deeks (PETER BERG) and the reluctant Hollis Elmore (MARTIN HENDERSON) who get information from mob attorney Rupert "Rip" Reed (JASON BATEMAN). Professional assassins Georgia Sykes (ALICIA KEYS) and Sharice Watters (TARAJI HENSON) are also on the case, as are the neo-Nazi Tremors, Darwin (CHRIS PINE), Jeeves (KEVIN DURAND) and Lester (MAURY STERLING). Then there's legendary torturer Pasqual Acosta (NESTOR CARBONELL) and master of disguise Lazlo Soot (TOMMY FLANAGAN), who, like the others, try to work their way up to that penthouse, and will do anything to make the hit, all as the FBI tries to prevent that from happening. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Older male teens seem the most likely audience, along with anyone who's a fan of someone in the cast. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some nudity and drug use. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: Beyond RAY LIOTTA playing an FBI agent working to nab Primo (he uses strong profanity), RYAN REYNOLDS as his partner who's doing the same and ends up killing various people, and ANDY GARCIA who embodies an FBI official with questionable motives in terms of the collateral damage he creates, it's highly unlikely any parents would consider the rest of the characters (mobsters and assassins) as good role models. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a quick look at the content found in this R-rated, action-drama. Profanity consists of at least 115 "f' words, while plenty of other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue (some of it explicit) is present, as is the sight of a hooker in just a thong bottom (bare breasts, most of her bare butt). Nonsexual nudity also occurs (men's bare butts), other sexually related material is present (including a visible semen stain, a boy's erection in his pants, and a woman who grabs her dildo to put it away), while homosexuality is suggested regarding men and women. Violence consists of people being killed in a variety of ways (mostly gunfire), and much of that has extremely bloody and gory results. Some of those scenes may be unsettling or intense for those with low tolerance levels for such mayhem, while that action and other behavior may be enticing for some kids to imitate. All sorts of bad attitudes are present and various characters drink and/or smoke, while some drug use also occurs. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of handheld camerawork in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Buddy and others drink. Buddy snorts some sort of drugs. Buddy appears to use more drugs. Dupree has a beer. Rip complains about his physical state, including that he has hereditary alcoholism. We see mini liquor bottles by one assassin. Buddy has a beer by him. Buddy acts as if he's on drugs, and we hear him chopping something on a table just out of the camera shot (presumably cocaine). Hollis downs many prescription painkillers for the pain he's suffering. Miscellaneous people drink. BLOOD/GORE One of the agents comments about urine being good for one's skin. We see quick flashback views of Acosta torturing his victims (we see a bloody leg hanging out of a bathtub, and a full rear nude view of a man hanging upside down as Acosta tortures him in the front). We see a quick flashback view of Lazlo crouched down, nude (we see the side of his bare butt) as he's chewed off his fingertips (with bloody results -- to alter his prints). We later see the scars there. We see some bloody victims of various killers. The Tremors mow down three other assassins. We later see that they dumped the bodies in a body of water, but that one victim survived (albeit with some missing fingers on one hand). We hear the sound of one of the Tremors urinating. We see a dead guard with a bloody hole in his shirt, and then another who has a bloody chest (from unseen shootings). A person is shot dead and we see blood splatter onto the wall behind them. The victim also has blood on his shirt. We see a close-up of Hollis' wounded hand (missing fingers) ringing a doorbell. An assassin, in disguise as someone else, shoots a bodyguard in the back (we see a slightly bloody hole in his clothing). Two men and the elevator they're in are bloody after the two mortally wound each other. As Ivy prepare to shoot Buddy, the latter throws a playing card that embeds itself into Ivy's face, bloodying it. Various people who've been shot are very bloody, while Messner has bloody cuts on his face from shattered glass. The Tremors come out of an elevator and attack various guards, including one hitting one guard with two pipes or something similar, and another cutting another guard with a chainsaw. A gun battle then breaks out (machine guns, shotguns, etc.) where various people are hit and killed, with one Tremor apparently accidentally getting himself with the chainsaw. All of that has very bloody results. Messner wears a partially blood-soaked shirt. We see a flashback to an undercover agent being shot in the face (with bloody results, but he lives). That wound is then seen in close-up. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Sparazza and his goons have a bad attitude for putting out a contract on Buddy, while all of those who respond to it (and end up killing others in the process) obviously also have extreme cases of bad attitudes. A person uses the term "Chinaman" while "bitch(es)" is used by many, and "nigger(s)" is said by black people. Buddy treats his bodyguards (and most everyone else) badly. Rip tells Dupree and his crew that their killing of Buddy should include raping him if possible, including a comment about "in the brown." Beanie complains about a hooker going from Beyonce to Big Foot in just a few hours (referring to how he viewed her between the night and next morning). Darwin moves a dead man's mouth to make it look like he's talking while Darwin supplies the voice. Georgia uses the term "faggot ass" toward the Tremors. We learn that Locke sacrificed some of his men in order to keep Primo alive. An agent unplugs the life support on two mafia figures, killing them (as agents try to break through the locked glass doors separating them from him). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" and "Blood/Gore" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Most, however, is designed to be "cool" and action-oriented rather than truly suspenseful. An FBI agent realizes a hotel security guard is really an assassin as they ride in an elevator together. The agent readies and draws his gun, but the assassin stabs him through the hand with a retractable knife. Both then get off shots, mortally wounding and bloodying each other (and the elevator). We see an assassin prepping various torture devices to use on Buddy, including a syringe filled with an unknown substance. Buddy puts a gun in his mouth to commit suicide, but he passes out before he does so. Georgia finds a seemingly dead assassin inside an elevator and holds his arm up near her head and throat, unaware of the retractable long blade up his sleeve (that we think is going to pop out and hit her). Georgia and Messner get into a gun standoff. Agents creep up on Sharice in her sniper position. We then hear gunfire, but don't know who's shooting whom. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Shotguns/Machine Guns/Rifles/Knives/Chainsaw: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill various people and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Get the f*ck out of here," "Are you f*cking nuts?" "Keep it f*cking down," "Don't f*ck around," "Not f*cking around," "Buddy f*cking Israel," "Are you f*cking kidding me?" "Good f*cking work," "Mafia m*therf*ckers," "Find your fangs you f*cking coward," "F*ck you," "F*ck-head," "Get out of my f*cking sight," "F*ck this," "F*cked up," "Shut the f*ck up," "You f*cking knew that," "Get it f*cking done," "F*cked up feedback," "F*ck that nigger," "F*cking thrilled to hear it," "F*ck you mean?" "Stupid ass m*therf*cker," "What the f*ck /is wrong with you?" "C'mon you f*cker," "F*ck it," "Crazy m*therf*cker," "Get the f*ck out of here," "F*cking asshole," "Holy sh*t," "Bullsh*t," "The sh*t might get hot," "Some sh*t, suffice it to say, doesn't wash out," "Sh*t-hole," "Quit acting like somebody took a sh*t in your cereal bowl," "Sh*t is itchy as hell," "This sh*t is getting on my nerves," "Oh sh*t," "Heavy sh*t," "Sh*t gets wild and crazy," "Sh*t-can the cue card rhetoric," "Gets his d*ck wet," "Jizz" (semen), "D*ck-beater," "You p*ssy," "Hootchies," "Thank you captain obvious," "Balls" (testicles), "Broads," "Chinaman," "Douche-bag," "Fool," "Hell yeah," "Nigger(s)" (said by black people), "Bitch(es)" (women and men), "The great white whale of snitches," "Piss poor," "Jerk," "Loser," "I need you to chill," "We did the damn thing," "Get your ass up," "Oh hell no," "Enough grab-assing G*ddamnit," "Your pretty ass," "My ass," "Don't trip," "Bitch ass," "Skank ass bitches," "Faggot ass," "Punk ass" and "What the hell happened here?" Some kids may be enticed to imitate the action, violence, attire and attitudes/behavior that are present in the film We see a quick flashback view of Lazlo crouched down, nude (we see the side of his bare butt) as he's chewed off his fingertips (with bloody results -- to alter his prints). Beanie has some gold teeth. After a killing, Darwin takes a magic marker and draws a small Hitler-type mustache on his own face. Darwin moves a dead man's mouth to make it look like he's talking while Darwin supplies the voice. A hooker wears a midriff-revealing top. Georgia dresses up like a hooker (short and tight shorts, fishnet stockings, etc.) in hopes of getting into Buddy's penthouse in order to execute the hit. All of the Tremors sport various tattoos, while the biggest one has a Mohawk haircut. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A mild amount of suspenseful and dramatic music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song has the lyric "Just touch me again" (heard on the soundtrack as Sharice peers at Georgia's cleavage using a sniper rifle scope). A song had lyrics that we couldn't fully hear and/or understand, thus offering the possibility of it potentially containing objectionable content. PROFANITY At least 115 "f" words (12 used with "mother"), 59 "s" words, 8 slang terms using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 7 using male ones ("c*ck," "d*ck" and "pr*ck"), 25 asses (4 used with "hole"), 7 hells, 6 damns, 1 crap, 1 S.O.B., 5 uses of "G-damn," 2 each of "Jesus" and "Jesus Christ" and 1 use each of "Oh Christ" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY We see several showgirl type women with Buddy and they show varying amounts of cleavage and leg in standard outfits. We see quick flashback views of Acosta torturing his victims (including a full rear nude view of a man hanging upside down as Acosta tortures him in the front). We see a quick flashback view of Lazlo crouched down, nude (we see the side of his bare butt). We see various passed out hookers on the floor and elsewhere in Buddy's penthouse. One is wearing a skirt and bra or bikini top, while another wears just a thong bottom (she's lying on her side with her arm across her chest so no nudity is seen, at least for the moment). When that latter woman wakes up, we see various views of her bare breasts, and when she later stands, we see most of her bare butt in her thong bottom. Meanwhile, Buddy is there shirtless, and is upset about a stain on his expensive coat. He comments about it being "jizz" and then angrily complains that "some f*ck-head shot his load" on that jacket. Sharice talks about "p*ssy" and that since Buddy likes it, they can use that to get to him. A huge poster or photo in Rip's place shows a close-up view of a woman from the rear where she's pulling down her panties or bikini bottom, thus exposing much of her bare butt. Rip then complains about his physical state, including that he has a "small c*ck." Darwin tells the other two Tremors, "Enough grab-assing G*ddamnit" as they wrestle with each other outdoors. After seeing hookers being paraded out of the casino and knowing they were there for Buddy's enjoyment, Sharice goes on a tirade about men using and viewing women that way, commenting on "p*ssy" and "suck a c*ck." Sharice acts like she's gay toward Georgia in front of a hotel clerk (saying they'll share one bed), and while that seems like a joking act, we later see that Sharice is attracted to Georgia (including viewing a close-up of Georgia's cleavage using her sniper rifle scope for the view). A song has the lyric "Just touch me again" (heard during the above scene). Georgia dresses up like a hooker (short and tight shorts, fishnet stockings, etc.) in hopes of getting into Buddy's penthouse in order to execute the hit. Georgia, dressed as a hooker, waits for the elevator. When the doors open, she spots the Tremors, all shirtless, with one having his pants partially undone and his hand down inside there. Georgia says she's going down, with one suggestively replying, "I bet you are." She then refers to his "faggot ass." A middle-aged woman gets Hollis (who's cold from having been in a body of water) into a tub (we can tell he's nude but don't see anything explicit), and grabs a large dildo from nearby to put it away. When a hyperactive boy enters the bathroom and does all sorts of martial arts moves, Hollis notices an obvious erection in the boy's karate outfit pants. We see Rip in a bra-like top and panties in bed. We briefly see a flashback to a pregnant woman's bare belly as she stands. SMOKING Dupree and Darwin each smoke several times, while various minor and miscellaneous characters smoke (cigarettes and cigars) in several scenes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES A woman comments on her husband committing suicide within the year, and the boy in her charge having a mother who abandoned him and a father who's in prison for, among other things, sodomy. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The mafia. The FBI. Government informants/snitches. Contract killers. How large sums of money motivate people to participate in criminal behavior. Prostitutes. Rip complains about his physical state, including that he has hereditary alcoholism. Homosexuality. Hyperactive children. We learn that Locke sacrificed some of his men in order to keep Primo alive. VIOLENCE We see a flashback to Buddy firing a machine gun during some sort of criminal activity. Two men shoot one or more people in a convertible (we don't see the impact). We see a flashback to a mobster shooting an undercover FBI agent (in the dark, with no details). We see quick flashback views of Acosta torturing his victims (we see a bloody leg hanging out of a bathtub, and a full rear nude view of a man hanging upside down as Acosta tortures him in the front). The Tremors enter a place with various weapons and we hear gunfire and see flashes before they come out onto the street and kill more people. Lazlo suddenly mows down a group of people with two machine guns, killing all of them. A hooker accidentally falls backwards through a glass coffee table, shattering it. The Tremors mow down three other assassins. We later see that they dumped the bodies in a body of water, but that one victim survived (albeit with some missing fingers on one hand). We see a dead guard with a bloody hole in his shirt, and then another who has a bloody chest (from unseen shootings). A person is shot dead and we see blood splatter onto the wall behind them. The victim also has blood on his shirt. An assassin kills a security guard by suddenly stabbing him with a long, retractable knife that's hidden in his sleeve (no blood). We see a flash image of people being shot. An assassin, in disguise as someone else, shoots a bodyguard in the back (we see a slightly bloody hole in his clothing) and then shoots him several times in the front. An FBI agent realizes a hotel security guard is really an assassin as they ride in an elevator together. The agent readies and draws his gun, but the assassin stabs him through the hand with a retractable knife. Both then get off shots, mortally wounding and bloodying each other (and the elevator). As Ivy prepares to shoot Buddy, the latter throws a playing card that embeds itself into Ivy's face, bloodying it. Buddy then takes refuge in the tub as Ivy wildly shoots his hand in his direction, with guards then entering and subduing Ivy. Sharice fires a powerful, high-caliber assault rifle from one building into another, striking various agents and causing all sorts of property damage (while agents fire back in her direction). Georgia is shot and wounded as a wounded assassin and agent get off their last gunshots, hitting her and each other. The Tremors come out of an elevator and attack various guards, including one hitting one guard with two pipes or something similar, and another cutting another guard with a chainsaw. A gun battle then breaks out (machine guns, shotguns, etc.) where various people are hit and killed, with one Tremor apparently accidentally getting himself with the chainsaw. All of that has very bloody results. An assassin stabs an FBI agent before escaping. Agents creep up on Sharice in her sniper position. We then hear gunfire, but don't know who's shooting whom. Hollis holds a gun on another assassin, and after letting him go, shoots him several times from a distance (no blood). We see a flashback to an undercover agent being shot in the face (with bloody results, but he lives). An agent unplugs the life support on two mafia figures, killing them (as agents try to break through the locked glass doors separating them from him). Reviewed January 23, 2007 / Posted January 26, 2007

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2016 Screen It, Inc.