This Action-Thriller Ensemble Starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman Is Pure Chaos

Picture this: It’s late January 2007. Movie theaters didn’t have a lot of selection outside of the last-minute holiday push of films being utilized for award season. Your options were the likes of Code Name: The Cleaner, starring Cedric the Entertainer, and the remake of The Hitcher. January is a graveyard of films that the studio didn’t have too much faith in, not to mention this was long before they could throw it on a streaming service they govern to help with the film’s visibility. On January 26th of that year, Smokin’ Aces was released. It was a high-octane action film that mimicked the style of the era in terms of how the genre was presented. To this day, not many people talk about it, but it should still be at the top of your watchlist.

In Smokin’ Aces a Las Vegas magician who lives a double life as a gangster named Buddy “Aces” Israel (Jeremy Piven) agrees to testify against his former partner and friend, Primo Sparazza. Israel’s cooperation will put him into the Witness Protection Program. Before a deal can be hammered out between him and the FBI, word about Israel’s move against the mob has gotten out, and Sparazza places a hit on him. Thus, a slew of eccentric assassins and hitmen are sent out to take Isarel out while he stays coupled up in his Lake Tahoe penthouse.

At the time, we hadn’t seen a movie like this since the 1970s—a wild ride of a film with a massive ensemble. The real catch with this astonishing cast is that all these great actors were on different trajectories of their careers. It’s almost making Smokin’ Aces a bit of a launch pad for a long list of established talent looking to go the next step in Hollywood.

Case in point: the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman. The pair who would team up in the 2011 comedy The Change Up had standout parts in Smokin’ Aces. Batemen plays Rupert ‘Rip’ Reed, a lawyer who lives life on the wild side in terms of his addictions. His lawfirm bailed Isarel out of jail, and now everything is in complete shambles trying to save Isarel’s life.

Bateman’s performance, although brief, still stands out. It’s not the dry, “annoyed 40-something guy” we were used to seeing him as in films and television shows in the years to come. Smokin’ Aces was released during his run on Arrested Development, but he had yet to really become a household name at the time. 

Then there’s Ryan Reynolds, who plays a central character in the movie with one of the more significant arcs of any of the other characters. Reynolds plays FBI Agent Richard Messner, who, when he and his partner, veteran agent Donald Carruthers (Ray Liotta), catch wind of the one million dollar bounty on Isarel’s head, are sprung into action. This movie is post-Van Wilder, pre-Deadpool Ryan Reynolds. Aces shows us that Reynolds is a bonafide movie star, not just in regards to his witty humor, but his on-screen prowess and his chemistry with Liotta aid the film tremendously. 

That isn’t it for the cast of this film either. Smokin’ Aces also features Ben Affleck in a role before his directing career took off. He plays alongside another film director, Peter Berg, and actor Martin Henderson, who can now be seen on Netflix’s hit show, Virgin River. They appear as a trio of tough guys for hire in the film.

Other notable names are R&B singer Alicia Keys in a scene-stealing performance; rapper Common; Chris Pine, before he ever suited up as the new Captain Kirk;Taraji P. Henderson, fresh off a grand debut in 2005’s Hustle & Flow; Joel Edgerton, after two appearances in Star Wars; and Lost‘s Matthew Fox. 

Smokin’ Aces was made for $17 million and opened to mixed reviews, but it still generated $57 million at the box office. In 2010, a straight-to-DVD sequel to the film would follow with Smokin’ Aces 2: Assasins Ball, a movie with only a few returning cast members from the first outing.

Is it perfect by any stretch? Not really. Is it worth your time? Absolutely. The pure chaos on screen, especially in the film’s climax, reflects how action films that were not summer blockbusters looked at the time. This is what the genre looked like on the eve of the arrival of comic book adaptations. 

Big shootouts, eccentric over-the-top characters, and editing styles meant to make your anxiety race. When you look back on some of the overlooked thrill rides of the 2000s, don’t leave this one out of the mix.