REEL CRITIC:’Smokin’ Aces’ folds despite strong cast

“Smokin’ Aces” is a pitiful attempt at making a big-budget gangster movie. A wild assortment of hired killers chase after a snitch about to testify against the mob. The hit men try very hard to be funny and serious at the same time, but fail miserably at both efforts. It’s much too gory to be funny and way too silly to be a real crime drama. Mindless violence and morbid stupidity fill every scene.

Some great actors are cast in this failed effort. It’s painful to see Ray Liotta, Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia and Alicia Keys belittle themselves in this childish but brutal plot. Fortunately, most of them are killed off before they have too much screen time to embarrass themselves further. The bloody shoot-outs are so numerous and repetitive that they become pointless and tedious to watch.

This is a film unworthy of anyone’s attention. Amid all the bloodshed, you will not care who lives or who dies in this mind-numbing story. It’s a shining example of R-rated Hollywood production at its worst.