Depending on who you talk to, Smokin’ Aces was either a crazy, over-the-top and off-the-wall action film, or a total mess and an abomination. Ok, maybe not an abomination, but most people loved it or hated it, without much room in the middle. I loved it. And when I heard that they were developing a follow-up (as either a prequel or a sequel), I was immediately interested. Granted, the body count in the original was pretty high, so any sort of a movie in this universe was going to need an almost entirely new cast.

Which brings us to Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassin’s Ball. Is it a prequel or a sequel? Well it’s titled like a sequel, but functions as a prequel. This alone ticks me off. If you’re going to do a movie that’s a prequel, at least title it so it doesn’t sound like it come after the movie that it’s actually preceding. It’s a small quibble, but worth bringing up.

As for the story itself, it only ties in with the original Aces via a couple of characters (and the returning actors who play them) and a few random lies of dialogue. I actually liked that they did this, linking the two, but not in a blatant way. Beyond the story, there are other elements that the two flicks share: the FBI versus lots of professional assassins/guns-for-hire, cards and magic trick imagery…and of course, a large body count.

QUALITY:
This Blu-Ray features a sharp picture and solid sound quality. It’s got very vibrant colors, but some really cheesy special effects from time to time. The overall production values are much better than your standard DTV movie, but budget limitations really show up any time there’s a big explosion involved.

BONUS FEATURES:
The features include:
•    Confessions of an Assassin
•    The Bunker Mentality: Designing the Set
•    Ready, Aim, Fire: The Weapons of Smokin' Aces 2
•    Behind the Scenes with Joe Carnahan
•    Cue the Clown
•    Deleted Scenes
•    Gag Reel
•    Feature Commentary with Executive Producer Joe Carnahan and Director P.J. Pesce

All in all, I’ve definitely seen much worse DTV releases. I know that probably sounds like I’m damning Smokin’ Aces 2 with faint praise, but this could have been an absolute train wreck. Instead it’s a pretty enjoyable B-movie that manages to fall evenly in line with its predecessor, without being a flat-out carbon copy. If you dug the first Smokin’ Aces, you should at least check this one out as a rental.