Blu-ray Review: SMOKIN' ACES

Bluray Rating: 8/10

Since this is an older film and most people probably already have their opinions on it, I will not be reviewing the actual film itself and instead review the Blu-ray set as a whole.

I went crazy for SMOKIN’ ACES when it first came out. I thought it was fun, insanely clever, and really bad-ass. The avant-garde visual style that they used was incredible and put Joe Carnahan on my directors to watch list. I liked it so much, in fact, that I bought the HD-DVD version (R.I.P.) when it came out. At the time of the initial home video release, Universal was backing HD-DVD exclusively, so it wasn’t until now that we get a Blu-ray version.

Sadly, they haven’t changed anything since the original DVD release. It would have been nice to have some sort of retrospective feature where they discuss the legacy of the film almost 3 years after its release. Regardless of that, it is still a really great disc that has a lot of features.

The disc includes a deleted scenes section and the “Cowboy Ending,” which is an alternate ending that they filmed but decided not to use. I enjoyed watching the Cowboy Ending, although the actual ending to the movie is much better. Still, it is a great addition to the disc. They also have a feature called “Shoot ‘Em Up,” which is a surprisingly in-depth look at the special effects in the film. If you’ve ever wondered how a “squib” works, you’re going to find out. We can’t forget “The Lineup” where the cast talks about their characters and the filming of the movie.

It doesn’t stop there either, they also include a twelve minute long making of feature that follows Joe Carnahan throughout the filming of the movie. They talk to most of the cast, including STAR TREK star Chris Pine, who does the interview in character. This was a really fun watch and it shows how passionate Carnahan was about making the movie.

There is also a feature called “U-Control” where you can watch picture-in-picture featurettes during the movie. I love these because it gives you reference as to what the featurette is talking about. Also under U-Control is an “Assassin Tracker” which shows where the assassins are on their trips to Reno to kill Buddy Israel. There is also two feature-length commentaries, which is surprising (and awesome) since there is so much stuff already.

If you have the DVD (or HD-DVD) of this film, I don’t really suggest rushing out to get this one unless you really just want to upgrade it to Blu-ray. I only say that because the special features all the same. Aside from that, this is a really great Blu-ray disc.