MovieChat Forums > Smokin' Aces (2007) Discussion > The .50 Cal Scene, (And How To Properly ...

The .50 Cal Scene, (And How To Properly Enjoy 'Smokin' Aces')

posted 11 years ago by VaultTechy
12 replies | jump to latest

First off, I love love love this bloody show. (no pun intended) I gave it a nine outta ten and if I hear someone say "Smokin' Aces", even if it's a stranger, even if they're across the room, I can't help but at least say "LOVE that ****".

And yes, I understand, it's crappy, it's pulpy, it's gratuitous. It's got no meaning, my time would be better spent with Shawshank Redemption or Castaway, even a superhero movie, with it's back-of-the-cereal-box moral lessons would be a step up from this, I see this sentiment completely.

But people that say things like that, completely miss the point. Film, as an art and entertainment medium, is not welded or married to having a philosophical point or a deep meaning or eons of interpretive exploration, it's allowed to just be really, really ******* cool. Just like any other form of art, sometimes things are just made because they're absolutely awesome, and for all the hipsters and sprained-pinky connoisseurs reading this, it's not immature or unintelligent to admit that you enjoy this kinda stuff. I've seen all your Kubricks and your Hitchcocks and I gotta say, it's great stuff, but if all you ever watched was brain-straining social commentary and metaphorical allusionss like that, you'd get exhausted. Point I'm trying to make is holy crap Smokin' Aces was awesome, so was Death Proof and Planet Terror and Dead Alive and Death Race and Road Warrior and even Abraham Lincoln; Vampire Hunter. Why can't we all get off our high horses, sit back and enjoy?

That said, the .50 caliber sniper scene is just amazing. When she sees those agents come in and just starts ripping up that lobby? And people are getting tossed all over the place and there's debris and glass and guns all over the place? I re-wound and watched that like five times. Anyone else know some absolutely stand-out action sequences that stuck with them? Leave me a reply!

[–] Mandingo609 11 years ago

I believe that people who looks to deeply in a film to find ”Meaning”, suffer from intellect inferiority. They TRY to appear more intelligent then what they are.

”Deh Deh Deh, DA Dabacco”-Puert Rican dude from the ”I aint your Papi” episode of COPS.

[–] bryguy21481 8 years ago

well said

[–] airlight-europe 11 years ago

I really enjoyed that scene aswell, just saw the movie again after having forgotten about it since my first viewing. Glad I revisited it.

As for standout action sequences, I have a few on my mind. I should state that I like my action sequences slow and deliberately edited, good scenes hold up to that whilst fast cutting can be used to cover up poorer efforts.

First, the street shootout scene in Inception, when they kidnap Fischer in the taxi during the rain. The reason I love it is that it tends to focus on one thing at a time, both visually but also helped by the sound design. I suspect some people might find it bland compared to the hallway fight in the same film, but I find the street shootout almost perfectly paced and edited.

Second, "The Punisher" from 2004. The fight with the Russian. Again, very slow editing, but that helps to create little buildups and payoffs within the scene, you can properly anticipate an action and the results of it.

Third, Anything in "Children of Men", but hopefully everyone has seen that by now. Because wow.

Fourth. Casino Royale, the stairwell fight 60% in. Incredibly tight and slow editing, I would swear it's one take due to the perfect consistency of movement from shot to show, they all feel like one continuous sequence, and it maintains, for me, almost perfect situational awareness.

Fifth. The Bourne Identity. Again, the comparatively slow editing really makes the fights in this film stand out. I know many rave about the fights in nr 2 and 3, but the first movie does not suffer from the shakycam, and the editing again is very nice, it is there to show you what is happening, it does NOT try to induce any artificial thrills. The only downside for me are the slightly too tight/long camera lenses used. The fight 44 mins in is my fav, in the apartment in Paris. The 2-3 second part where Bourne disarms the guy of his knife, kicks it away, and then kicks him vaulting over a desk is one of my favourite fight moments, I always remember it, the way the music drops out, the clink of the knife. It's great.

Sixth. "Taken" with Neeson. This one nails what the sequel absolutely ruined. The editing pace is wonderful, sometimes you can almost put a regular beat and have the cuts sync perfectly, there are very few, if any sub 500ms cuts here. When Neeson shots a guy at one point in the movie, you see him fire his gun, and then the camers actually holds on him for a second, before cutting to the guy who was shot, who already is falling down from the shot. Normally every other action movie would _maybe_ allow for the muzzle flash, then immediately cut away to the "recipient". Another movie which in action sequences retains excellent situational awareness, and the consistency of movement between cuts is almost to where you sometimes feel like it is all one take, just switching cameras.

EDIT: Adding seventh. "Death Machine", 1995, from the director of Blade 1. The movie can be hard to find, and there is a Directors cut which I'd recommend. There is a chase sequence where a guy is hunted by a huge, fear pheromone-tracking robot, built by the insane company tech genius, in a corporate skyscraper. It is just wonderfully shot and edited, with humour and menace at the same time. Even found the movie on Youtube, time-linking to the scene in question:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNRwoRiHxDU&t=0h35m50s

The chase scene in this movie really is one of the best, most panic-inducing ones I have ever seen. I freaking love it.

[–] puschit-1 10 years ago

Hello? The shootout in the streets after the final bank heist in HEAT? Not even on your list?

[–] faista-1 11 years ago

That scene is I keep re-watching the movie :D

[–] xaggurat 11 years ago

Sure, this film has it's moments, like Ben Affleck getting shot so early in the film. It was great because I had just watched Gigli before seeing this one.

[–] Mandingo609 11 years ago

One of the best comments...EVER!!!

[–] bottleshock34 10 years ago

You got it in one i hate it when people juge other becouse they like the movie and they did not then they get into a heated argument and start calling people morons ect okay if you dont like a movie thats okay but at the end of the day its just a movie know need to start world war three over it

Any hoo i loved chris pine in this not my fave film but i loved him

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] cheezbaalz 9 years ago

My favourite scene is probably the elevator scene with Ray Liotta and the assassin posing as a security guard. Awesome scene that builds up tension really well and then it blows up and turns into a complete cluster.

[–] 06986 9 years ago

50 cal scene was unrealistic, human bodies don't fly around when they get hit with bullets, even big ones, they just drop. That dopey girl would not have been able to keep firing that 50 cal either like that, it would have jammed on her several times too. The agents shooting outside the hotel window at a building far away under fire was stupid too, what did they expect to hit aside from maybe innocent civilians.

[–] Citation_Needed 8 years ago

Don't forget the part where Reynolds threw his empty gun at the building across the way. Fuqqing hilariously stupid.