* Don’t bother ** Rent it *** Matinee material **** Worth seeing ***** Exceptional

The trailers for Smokin’ Aces are somewhat misleading. What’s presented as a dime-a-dozen hip ensemble action-comedy along the lines of Oceans 11 is actually a complex action-drama with many funny parts.

A man at the forefront of college-aged humor flicks, Ryan Reynolds demonstrates a surprising range of acting skills, starring as an FBI agent charged with protecting Las Vegas magician-turned-mafioso wannabe Buddy “Aces” Israel (Jeremy Piven of Entourage). Piven delivers a stellar performance as the strung-out snitch placed in protective custody by the FBI after the mob boss he ratted out puts a $1 million hit on him.

The huge prospective reward entices a rag-tag group of unsavory hitmen, and the race for the prize is on. Enter Ben Affleck, Alicia Keyes, Common and an assortment of other low-lives all trying to take out Aces … and each other.

For such a simple premise, the start of the film is bogged down by complicated expositions in an attempt to set the scene. When the film picks up, about 20 minutes in, it turns into a blood bath to rival Tarantino. Ben Affleck thankfully bites the dust early and plays a pretty small role, but Alicia Keyes and Common are both solid, which is good as they get a decent chunk of screentime. Ray Liotta, a fantastic actor, is negligible in his role as Reynold’s partner. Comic relief comes in the form of a trio of over-the-top neo-Nazi assassins with some very uncoventional weapons. Piven spends almost of all of the movie in one room. He likened the experience to his performances from his extensive stage background.

The action scenes are fantastically gory, but well thought-out, relevant to the plot and easy to follow, especially considering how frenzied the gunplay is. This compliments the mind-bending plot, filled with so many twists you feel like you’ve got whiplash. Sufficed to say, nothing in the story is as it seems, a complexity typically not found in Aces’ peer films.

The hook of the film is buried about halfway through, and unless you’re dense, you’ll get the idea before the big reveal at the end. The biggest and really the only considerable downpoint of the movie is that the denouement, much like the beginning, drags out for way too long, and its almost unbearbly slow considering the gory shootout climax.

All-in-all, Smokin’ Aces proves to be a stellar spectacle, with some solid if not exceptional performances, a great cast and plot that will leave your head spinning.

— Jeff Tripoli

jefftripoli@thedaily.washington.edu