mdc3000

Sounds good to me...what JD described is the movie I'm looking for. I have been eagerly waiting to see what Joe Carnahan was going to do next, and with the cast he's assembled here, you bet your ass I'm there opening night. (and like stated above, being Universal, HD DVD is where it'll end up!) I hope the January release date is not an indication of quality but more of Universal's busy slate.

Gcomeau

I just found out i won passes for next Thursday...SWEEEEET

Gcomeau

I mean Wednesday...my bad.

Tygan

Saw this last night - the twist was very predictable, but the flick was just a lot of fun.

dom56

How was Alicia Keys in her first movie debut? She look pretty hot in her outfit on the trailer I saw.

Tygan

Your assessment is right on.

Gcomeau

Yeah she was hot...but the flick was disapointing...save your money.

rexinnih

Might be a renter.

Tygan

It's an enjoyable pop-corn flick....if you're expecting the next tarantino cult film, you'll be disappointed.

Big Worms

Movie looks amazing! Just need to get a chance to go see it.

FantasticVSDoom

Never found her that attractive, but she was hot as hell...Movie was ok. It was kind of all over the place, with some stylish shots and mindless ultra-violence. Pretty much typical genre fare, and if thats what you are expecting, then you will have a good time with it.

breadlymoore

I don't understand the Tarantino comparision. Some critics are bringing that up, and I don't see it.

I think the ship has sailed on the Tarantino genre.

Tarantino

Anyway...good popcorn flick, lots of action...parts had me laughing pretty hard too.

Jeremy Piven is amazing in this movie. The scene where .

= J

JPRaup

awesome movie, a fun popcorn flick, very entertaining. Loved it.

mdc3000

Really liked it. Not brilliant and not as kinetic as the trailers made it look, but overall, a great time at the movies. Some really good scene stealing performances from Piven, Bateman, Affleck and Matthew Fox. I know lots of people hate Affleck (even a friend I went with stated "how does affleck continue to get work?') but I thought he had some of the funniest lines in the flick.

The small touches that made each character unique and slightly demented really made the movie IMO...it really fit with the style of the picture and those little character quirks etc. went a long way in making the movie good. The plot was fumbled a bit and the big reveal doesn't come off nearly as dramatic or surprising as Carnahan thinks it is (frankly, by that point I hardly cared) but it was a fun movie and I'll be picking up the (loaded) HD DVD when it comes out.

RichC2

Disappointed but still somewhat enjoyable.

I enjoyed the stuff in the hotel but hated the plot bits w/ the mob. It's just a quirk in a lot of films I suppose, but when I see a movie I want to see a movie, I don't want to be told a plot synopsis by characters in the movie. Not once in the movie was any plot actually allowed to unfold (well, very little), it was all told in a prompt and dry manner.

Still, the bros were fun to watch and Alica looked great. Plus when it got going it was fun. Could have been great, though.

DRG

Reminded me more of The Big Hit than anything, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It was perhaps a bit too busy for its own good... they could have cut a character or two. But it was a fun lightweight romp, enjoyable.

Matthew Chmiel

Matthew Fox? Sure you weren't at We Are Marshall instead?

I liked the flick, but it could've been a lot faster paced and had more action. I was hoping just for a big battle royale between everybody, but the biggest action scene was less than 10 minutes and it was the combination of two seperate attacks (the feds getting wiped out by the sniper and the redneck trio going to town on the security guards).

I'll probably buy it on DVD or HD-DVD or whatever when it costs around $10.

RyoHazuki

I saw it last night and walked out mildly disappointed. There were some good points. A lot of the performances were good. Jason Bateman and Jeremy Priven brought some humor to the film. I probably set my expectations too high but the movie never really became what it wanted to be, a high octane action flick. Like someone said earlier, the action is very limited (especially considering the trailer). The big reveal wasnt a big reveal and it didnt affect anything. Some parts also felt really cliche

After Narc, this is a big let down for Carnahan. It looks like he might go back to channeling Tarantino full time.

breadlymoore

That's EXACTLY why I liked it. It didn't always lean to the obvious.

mdc3000

I was hoping for the last 90 min to just be a big face off between all the hitmen with bullets flying as well...I guess it does have some similarities with The Big Hit, but there is a movie that didn't take itself too seriously and just let loose with the mindless action. I don't think if Smokin' Aces had taken that balls to the wall approach it woud have been obvious, I think it would have been SATISFYING.

breadlymoore

I found it extremely satisfying as it is.

dpz301

just got back from seeing this. i really liked it. thought the twist at the end was an interesting way to tie everything together. all the different personalities of the movie pulled it together for me, with their different quirks and styles. i assume it will pull in a pretty good weekend considering the stars involved. definitely going to get the dvd.

Patman

I thought there was some wayward laughs in this film, but it's got far too many characters, and not enough character development to make its conclusion all that interesting (since a lot of it was telegraphed early on in the film).

I give it 2 stars or a grade of C.

JimRochester

I liked the movie. The biggest problem was the multitude of characters and keeping them all straight. It wasn't a Pulp Fiction or a Resevoir Dogs, but not every movie needs to be an instant cult classic in order to be enjoyable, entertaining and worth spending $$ and an evening to see. I would give it a grade of B. Ben Affleck wasn't nearly as annoying as he usually is. So I gave it an upgrade from a C+.