The trailer for this movie had me so excited. It looked like a Guy Ritchie film, with amusing characters, and heart-pounding action. Then I read the reviews.
This movie was widely panned, and in turn almost made me not see it. Am I ever glad I did! Maybe it was me going in with little to no expectations, but the film surprised me. It wasn't what I thought it would be at all, and kept me entertained throughout.
The story circles around Buddy "Aces" Israel, a down on his luck magician turned mobster turned witness and the various groups of hit men who descend on Lake Tahoe to take him out for the reward of a million dollar hit. The only catch: the man who put the hit on Aces wants to see his heart carved from his chest for all the trouble he's caused them.
It sounds like a pretty generic plot outline and it is. Carnahan took a lot of heat for this movie thus far, and I don't think it was deserved. The lead up is fantastically executed, with the tension almost reaching unbearable levels.
Sure, it's cool, and the characters are all one dimensional, but I wasn't looking for deep story here. In fact, none of the trailers even suggested deep story. What it was was an entertaining movie, and a great one at that.
Some of the plot details could have been cleaned up better and, while the twist ending seemed tacked on, it still was a good ending.
Also of note, Ryan Reynolds delivers a damn good performance by the end of this movie, and Piven really stands out as Israel.
A great, entertaining movie that I will definitely see again.
(NOTE: Not a good movie to take your girlfriend to, as the violence is graphic and gory.) 8/10
This movie was widely panned, and in turn almost made me not see it. Am I ever glad I did! Maybe it was me going in with little to no expectations, but the film surprised me. It wasn't what I thought it would be at all, and kept me entertained throughout.
The story circles around Buddy "Aces" Israel, a down on his luck magician turned mobster turned witness and the various groups of hit men who descend on Lake Tahoe to take him out for the reward of a million dollar hit. The only catch: the man who put the hit on Aces wants to see his heart carved from his chest for all the trouble he's caused them.
It sounds like a pretty generic plot outline and it is. Carnahan took a lot of heat for this movie thus far, and I don't think it was deserved. The lead up is fantastically executed, with the tension almost reaching unbearable levels.
Sure, it's cool, and the characters are all one dimensional, but I wasn't looking for deep story here. In fact, none of the trailers even suggested deep story. What it was was an entertaining movie, and a great one at that.
Some of the plot details could have been cleaned up better and, while the twist ending seemed tacked on, it still was a good ending.
Also of note, Ryan Reynolds delivers a damn good performance by the end of this movie, and Piven really stands out as Israel.
A great, entertaining movie that I will definitely see again.
(NOTE: Not a good movie to take your girlfriend to, as the violence is graphic and gory.) 8/10
Tell Your Friends