The director of "Smokin' Aces" and "Narc" brings you back into the adrenaline-pumping world of blood, bullets and bad-asses.
'Smokin' Aces' (2006) was quite an entertaining movie, so I wasn't expecting much from this straight-to-DVD prequel; but besides its occasionally noticeable low budget and tenuous links to Joe 'Narc' Carnahan's underrated original, 'Smokin Aces 2' is surprisingly watchable fare. The basic structure remains unchanged (i.e. colourful assassins try to do in a high level target whilst FBI agents try to protect him) as lowly Bureau hack Walter Weed (Tom Berenger) is marked for death with a $3 million bounty on his head; a price which attracts all manner of top drawer killers to a Chicago jazz club / state-of-the-art military bunker for the inevitable showdown. Screenwriters Osunsanmi & Odebunmi successfully manage to weave real world events into the narrative whilst gun-for-hire director P.J. Pesce, whose efforts range from the good ('Dusk Till Dawn 3') to the downright damnable ('Lost Boys 2') keeps up the pace, though lets himself down by overdoing it with the jump cuts and filters. Tommy Flanagan and Maury Sterling reprise their roles as Laszo Soot and Lester Tremor respectively, Ernie Hudson makes an exposition heavy cameo, Vinnie Jones is Vinnie Jones, Martha Higareda ('Volver') plays her femme fatale to the hilt and Clayne Crawford, though not as good as Ryan Reynolds, still makes for a convincing lead. But top marks have to go to the Tremor clan, memorably described by Ben Affleck's Jack Dupree character in the original as "...neo-Nazi speed freaks with the same skank mom, different deadbeat dads". Well, we finally get to meet that "skank mom" in the form of Autumn Reeser and it just so happens that one of those "deadbeat dads" is none other than the legendary Michael Parks! Some of the shootouts are quite creatively done (e.g. exploding clowns, the last scene in the car) and listen out for the 'Platoon' reference / nod to Tom Berenger. Not on a par with the first film but with enough twists and turns to hold your attention for the lean, 90 minute running time. Worth seeing once.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Federal agents once again match wits with a cadre of creative killers in the high-octane feature-length film Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball. Walter Weed (Tom Berenger) is an unassuming desk jockey at the FBI when the Bureau uncovers a plot to assassinate him. A team of degenerate, psychotic assassins dispatched by mystery man Hal Leuco to win a huge bounty includes a resourceful beauty that has a unique method of killing her prey (Martha Higareda), a power-tool wielding psychopath (Vinnie Jones) and a deadly master of disguise (Tommy Flanagan). Also in the hunt is the fan-favourite Tremor family from the original film, featuring nymphomaniac gun-nut (Autumn Reeser) and her lethal kinfolk (Maury Sterling, Michael Parks and C. Ernst Harth). Baker (Clayne Crawford), the agent in charge of the operation, puts himself and his team in the line of fire to defend Weed, but it's not until the smoke clears on the film's explosive climax that the surprising identity of the plot's mastermind is revealed. Executive produced by Joe Carnahan (Narc), the writer-director behind the shockingly edgy hit Smokin' Aces, and directed by P.J. Pesce ('Lost Boys: The Tribe'), Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball features a sexy cast, whip-smart script and hyper-kinetic visuals. And, with the return of infamous assassins Lazlo Soot and the Tremor Brothers from the original theatrical film, audiences will experience a furious frenzy of explosive action that will keep them guessing until the very last scene. Both the Blu-ray and DVD editions include the rated and unrated versions of the movie and an arsenal of explosive bonus features. Starring Tom Berenger ('Training Day'), Clayne Crawford ('Brooklyn to Manhattan'), Martha Higareda ('Street Kings'), Ernie Hudson ("Heroes"), Michael Parks ('Grindhouse'), Autumn Reeser ("Entourage") and Vinnie Jones ('X-Men: The Last Stand', 'Lock, Stock and Two Smokin' Barrels'), as well as returning stars from the original theatrical release Tommy Flanagan ('Sin City'), Maury Sterling ('Smokin' Aces') and Christopher Michael Holley ('Smokin' Aces'). Actors Vinnie Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Ernie Hudson, Tom Berenger, Autumn Reeser, Clayne Crawford, Keegan Connor Tracy, David Richmond-Peck & Sonja Bennett Director P.J. Pesce Certificate 18 years and over Year 2009 Screen Widescreen 1.78:1 Anamorphic Languages English - Dolby Digital (5.1) Additional Languages French ; Hungarian Subtitles English for the hearing impaired ; Danish ; Icelandic ; French ; Finnish ; Norwegian ; Arabic ; Hungarian ; Swedish Duration 1 hour and 24 minutes (approx)
It's bullets, blood, and mayhem in this prequel to 2007's 'Smokin Aces', as a pack of crazed hitmen (and women) vie for a million dollar bounty. Walter Weed (Tom Berenger) is a quiet, unassuming pen-pusher working for the FBI. All that changes overnight, however, when the bureau discovers that someone has put out a large contract on the lowly agent's head. Now, as the world's most crazed and deadly assassins gather to claim the blood-money, and the FBI tools up to protect its own, the stage is set for a symphony of over-the-top, adrenaline-fuelled bloodletting.
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