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Reviews
Smokin' Aces (2006)
An amateur mess
I may have been one of the very few people who disliked writer/director Joe Carnahan's critically acclaimed 2002 thriller "NARC", but at least in that film I could appreciate the clarity of his artistic vision. "Smokin' Aces" on the other hand, his first big budget feature film, is a complete mess that just barely manages to entertain on the most basic level. The film has no idea what it is. There is a "plot", but essentially the film is series of freak-show sequences involving cartoon assassins and straight-faced law enforcement officers going at it with each other. Nothing works here; it's complicated and serious when it should be straight forward and light-hearted, it's dull when it should be pulsing with action, the plot twists and changes in tone are just plain weird, the intended humour isn't funny, and the whole thing is just so absurd that we really don't care. I also have to add that the dialogue spoken by the black characters doesn't sound authentic at all, it sounds like it was written by a white child with a brief exposure to black street culture. All in all, this is a complete waste of time.
One Tough Bastard (1996)
Good action movie
John North is a military instructor with a child he adores. When his wife and child accidentally become witnesses to a crime, they are murdered in cold blood. John North has one wish...revenge! OK, there is a bit more to it than that, but I won't give it away. "One Man's Justice" (or "One Tough Bastard" as its known as in the UK) is a well paced action movie with enough twists and creativity to hold your interest until the end. Visually speaking, director Kurt Wimmer doesn't have a particularly interesting eye, but he is talented enough to provide us with well choreographed fight scenes and effective, if slightly overdone performances. Bruce Payne reprises his role from "Passenger 57" here, albeit with an American accent. His performance borders on the camp, but it works. He IS A BAD GUY! At least, he wholly convinced me. Brian Bosworth is great too as the all American family man, who'll kick your ass to high hell if you ever cross him. The casting is perfect.
Keep in mind, it's a B Movie, but it's thoroughly enjoyable. It reminds me of 80's bliss such as "Commando". Fans of action movies should add this to their collection.
Night of the Demons III (1997)
The worst of the three
I'm a fan of the first two Night of the Demons films, so I was keen to see the third instalment despite all the poor reviews I'd read. Does it live up to its bad reputation? Pretty much.
Firstly, you don't cast twenty-somethings as teenagers! No! To whoever makes the next "Night of the Demons" movie (if there is going to be one), please cast real teenagers! I know the other two Demons movies are guilty of this too, but this was made in 1997.
The script, when it isn't ripping off lines from "Full Metal Jacket", is average at best. Kevin Tenney's original script was surely no masterpiece, but it was apparently sharper, gorier and funnier than the finished product. Apparently the director decided not to film most of the best scenes. Oh well.
The gore is seriously lacking, and what gore there is is badly executed. The special effects are a joke.
Some good old-fashioned nudity can't save this film from being the worst of the three. Sure, the original "Night of the Demons" was never going to win an Oscar, but it was well-shot, had a good score, a decent script and some memorable scenes. If the right people were involved, I'm sure this could have been a good entry to the series.
All in all, this film isn't as bad as people make it out to be. I have seen MUCH worse films than "Night of the Demons 3". It has some entertainment value to it, and fans of the series will see it anyway no matter what.