Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2007 1:22:06 GMT -4
No love for the movie that some in Chicago were convinced would rocket hometown boy Jeremy Piven into the superstar stratosphere?
It's ok, could have been much worse. The Piven plays a Vegas magician/mob mascot named Buddy "Aces" Israel, who is being forced to turn states evidence against a Mobster.
The Mob understandably takes a dislike to this plan, and assorted hired guns descend on Israel's hideout in Lake Tahoe to rub out the squealer. The FBI and the assassins square off, violence and mayhem ensues.
Buddy is an important role, and Piven is good as an arrogant, coked out, self obsessed, gangster wannabe, but it's not leading man material, it's barely a leading role, his screen time can't be much more than Ray Liotta, Andy Garcia, and Ryan Reynolds have as FBI agents.
The rest of the cast is a strange mix of musicians, and mostly television actors: Common, Alicia Keyes, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Matthew Fox, Jason Bateman, and Taraji P. Henson.
The story itself has a few weak spots, you'll see at least one of the "twists" early on in the film.
It's only the uniqueness of the cast that elevates this above your average HBO movie. I cannot understand the thinking behind releasing this in January, it has summer action flick written all over it.
It's ok, could have been much worse. The Piven plays a Vegas magician/mob mascot named Buddy "Aces" Israel, who is being forced to turn states evidence against a Mobster.
The Mob understandably takes a dislike to this plan, and assorted hired guns descend on Israel's hideout in Lake Tahoe to rub out the squealer. The FBI and the assassins square off, violence and mayhem ensues.
Buddy is an important role, and Piven is good as an arrogant, coked out, self obsessed, gangster wannabe, but it's not leading man material, it's barely a leading role, his screen time can't be much more than Ray Liotta, Andy Garcia, and Ryan Reynolds have as FBI agents.
The rest of the cast is a strange mix of musicians, and mostly television actors: Common, Alicia Keyes, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Matthew Fox, Jason Bateman, and Taraji P. Henson.
The story itself has a few weak spots, you'll see at least one of the "twists" early on in the film.
It's only the uniqueness of the cast that elevates this above your average HBO movie. I cannot understand the thinking behind releasing this in January, it has summer action flick written all over it.
