Smokin Aces 2-Movie Collection (Blu-ray) (2010)

"...[a] gangland freak-show thrill ride...  Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"...shamelessly and unapologetically a guy movie. It's lewd, crude and loaded with shootouts...  Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...so pumped up, manic and mayhem-packed that it practically shoots sweat off the screen.  Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Reel.com 8 of 10
Smokin' Aces is a hilarious, kinetic action movie that feels like the climactic hotel shoot-out in True Romance, only stretched out and sustained for two hours. Like True Romance's screenwriter, Quentin Tarantino, Smokin' Aces auteur Joe Carnahan seems to have a central nervous system that runs about twice as rapidly as any normal human being's. His film contains over a dozen major characters, and as many crisscrossing storylines, all of which are hyper-violent and giddily profane. But this isn't one of those ensemble movies where the audience gets bored during some subplots and waits impatiently for others to resume--all of the characters are equally colorful and compelling, and Carnahan builds a lot of momentum by cutting back and forth between their adventures. He also keeps the action surprisingly clear, partly through a fluid camera approach that depends on long, elaborately choreographed takes. - Jim Hemphill

Variety 7 of 10
Smokin' Aces" blows some cool smoke rings until it makes the very un-cool mistake of overstaying its welcome. Style and attitude, pegged to a baroque plot concerning an FBI plan to snare a key mob witness that attracts a virtual convention of world-class killers, burns up a lot of screen time but amounts to little more than some sensational scenes...Watching all these moving parts approach their target can be giddy fun, especially since Carnahan knows where to place his camera and, with editor Robert Frazen, when to cut for maximum effect. For sheer visceral buzz from opening to mid-section, pic delivers a lot of kick...Carnahan's direction particularly well serves the effectively hyper Piven, Liotta, Affleck, Carbonell and Keys, who brims with sexy confidence. - Robert Koehler