Smokin' Aces - There's a good film in there somewhere

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was the first film I saw which involved multiple sets of characters going about their - murderous - business, independently of each other, only for their paths to eventually cross. There may be other movies before Lock Stock which have used a similar model, but I can't name them right now.

Since then, both America and Britain have produced more of the same sorts of gangster movies. Smoking Aces is one such film. Only this time we add the FBI into the mix as they try to save potential informant Buddy `Aces' Israel from being assassinated by several different contract killers.

I've watched Smoking Aces three times now and each time I find I've forgotten what it's all about (or the finer details and plot twists). I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or not that a - quite complex - film leaves my memory so quickly. Either way, I do enjoy it, even though it probably could be better.
With any film which utilises many characters, you can expect the story to never be able to do every last one of them justice. Many of the hitmen are simply one-dimensional tools, used to move the plot (or what little plot there is) forward.

Perhaps Smoking Aces is a victim of its own aspirations. It tries to be incredibly complex, but ends up being a bit confusing if you're trying to follow it too closely. Either way, it's a daft, fun film that shouldn't be taken too seriously. If you like your gangster films gritty and violent - and aren't bothered by a few plot inconsistencies - give it a go. It's not half as bad as some of the other reviewers are making out. It's no classic, but it's worth a watch nonetheless.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that