Smokin’ Aces
by Joe Carnahan
ill. Antonio Vázquez, Luis Czerniawski & Enrique Lopez Lorenzana (IDW, 2007)
From this prequel tie-in we learn that Carnahan loves comics (he tells us) but doesn’t understand how to write a good one. The characters aren’t antiheroes, just irredeemable. The storylines are dark, violent and pointless and/or nonsensical. The tiny format doesn’t help.
Smokin’ Aces
dir. Joe Carnahan (2006)
A scattershot mess of a film: fast-moving, bloody, humourless and utterly incoherent. Carnahan stacks the script with unlikeable characters, few of whom engage the audience or serve much purpose. The big, clever twist is utterly ho-hum. A miserable attempt at gangster cool.
The A-Team
dir. Joe Carnahan (2010)
A perfectly serviceable origin story and tribute, albeit somewhat helter-skelter at the start and Hollywood-convoluted in a way the original series never stooped/aspired to. Even though it’s difficult to see new actors in the roles, any criticism stems largely from rose-tinted nostalgia.