“Smokin’ Aces” Prequel Blasts Out On DVD, Blu-ray

Smokin' Aces

“Smokin’ Aces” Prequel Blasts Out On DVD, Blu-ray.  “Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassin’s Ball” is currently available on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def.  The follow-up to the 2007 action movie of the same title is available in an unrated, fully loaded version that allows viewers to experience the full throttle adrenaline of the prequel to the charged-up flick that captivated audiences.  The film follows FBI Agent Walter Weed (Tom Berenger), whose unimportant, boring position with the Bureau becomes a whole lot more engaging when he finds out that a cadre of assassins are looking to take him out. Evading the hit men and women puts Weed in for the ride of his life as he learns more about the mysterious figure who has dispatched them.  Vinnie Jones and Ernie Hudson co-star in the second “Smokin’ Aces,” joined by returning cast members Tommy Flanagan and Maury Sterling of the first film, which featured an all-star cast with Ben Affleck, Alicia Keys, Taraji P. Henson, Jeremy Piven, Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Chris Pine, Common, Andy Garcia and more.  Joe Carnahan, the writer/director of the first “Smokin’ Aces” – relinquishes the director’s chair to P.J. Pesce for this straight-to-DVD prequel. Pesce has also picked up directing responsibilities on franchises like “From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Sniper” and “The Lost Boys.”  The special features are numerous on the DVD, including a gag reel; behind-the-scenes segments; the featurettes “Confessions of an Assassin,” “Cue the Clown” “The Bunker Mentality: Designing the Set; and audio commentary by Carnahan and Pesce. The Blu-ray version also comes with a pocket BLU application.