Aces 'N' Eights (2008) Reviews

• A Good Western But Could Have Been A Bit Better.

  Pratik1122008-06-07

  Its been a long time since I have watched a western and this one, to some extent, did make it worth while watching. People in a small town are violently forced to sell their ranches at a railroad price as the the on coming railway would go through their land. But the Government sends in their man from Chicago to sort this out in a peaceful manner. And just as things seem to go well, one of the ranch owners is killed in a shootout. The movie, directed by Craig Baxley, stars Casper Van Dien, Bruce Boxleitner, Ernest Borgnine and Jeff Kober. As much as I liked this movie and as much as I like to watch westerns, I felt that the script in some areas and that writers along with with the director and the the actors could have done something to make it stronger. Perhaps it was even trying to make some actors be the likes of James Stewart, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood who would have suited more. But never the less it was a good movie and be aware there are some violent scenes that one with a weak heart may not want to watch.

• While it didn't always succeed, at times I admired the effort

  TallPineTree2008-03-19

  The railroad is coming and not all people want to sell their ranch to make way for the new rail line. The local officials working for the railroad are violently encouraging the families to sell their ranches at the railroad's price. A railroad official from Chicago has come to help speed matters up, but in a non-violent manner. Ernest Borgnine is one of the ranchers who are refusing to sell. Working for Ernest Borgnine is a former gunfighter (Luke Rivers / Casper Van Dien) who has tried to leave his violent past behind, and a teenage boy (Michael H. Barnett). Among those working for the railroad is a former gunfighter friend (D.C. Cracker / Bruce Boxleitner) of Luke River. I generally liked this movie as I favor Westerns. I did feel the script needed more work. I thought there may be a connection between Luke Rivers and the teenage boy - and if there was - I missed the explanation. Connections/relations/conflicts between other characters could have been developed more. I am uncertain if this is because of the script, the direction, or if the actors didn't have the 'heft' to pull it off. James Stewart, or other 1950s Western actors, had the gravitas to imply much with little. Because a Mexican shawl is so reminiscent of Clint Eastwood in his 'Man With No Name' spaghetti westerns, Casper Van Dien looked 'wrong' when he took to wearing one late in the movie. Instead of enhancing his gunfighter status, it diminished him in my eyes as he could not compare to Eastwood. The director has a different visual style. Occasionally his tilted camera angles was distracting. I disagree with his overuse of tight closeups - especially during fight/brawl scenes. I couldn't get involved in the fight/brawl when I only saw the person who threw the punch or the person who received it with no good establishing shots as to which person was fighting who. I also felt the violent scenes of the railroad enforcers terrorizing the families were too many and went on too long. It was more than I expected from a TV movie. It says something when the credits lists as an actress: "Terrified Woman". On the plus side, the movie did try to present people on both sides of the conflict being right and wrong, good and bad. You may be right but sometimes it is hard to stop progress. I believe the "Aces and Eights" referred to losing with a winning hand. Within the Western clichés the movie tried to be different, and while it didn't always succeed, at times I admired the effort.

• This goes beyond the ordinary Western

  dale9992008-05-19

  I really like this film better than other westerns because it has a real story that we can relate to in today's world. The acting, cinematography, dialogue, directing and editing all made me feel like I was there experiencing it all. An excellent script with frequent close-ups in so many scenes, not just of the actors, makes this unusual for a Western. A lot of attention is paid to detail, so that with an expression on an actor's face you can see the nuances and what they are feeling and thinking. The pace of this film lends itself to thinking about what is happening within each character and how they are developing and in some cases changing. The only reason I rated this as a 9 and not a 10 is due to the amount of violence which takes place. I must say that the entire cast is believable in their roles. Casper Van Dien shows more through his facial expressions than most do. The same could be said about Bruce Boxleitner, but his dialogue also shows the direction of his thinking. I can not leave out the remarkable Ernest Borgnine who plays a strong and determined rancher. An actor new to me is Jack Noseworthy as Mr. Riley who draws a character of some interest as he represents a railroad. William Atherton, whom I've seen many times, played the deceptive banker Charles Howard just right. Not space here to mention each one in detail, but the schoolteacher and young boy are excellent in their characterizations. Jeff Kober as the outlaw without remorse is riveting. This film brings attention to the Right of Eminent Domain and how the government can take land and homes from people. But the story also includes how some men tire of taking lives and find there must be some other way of living. "We all have choices...." and "people can change" are the essential messages.

• Darn good Western

  Wampa_Dan2008-05-19

  ***Warning more than likely this contains some spoilers*** Well may I start off by saying that I always have been a huge fan of westerns. My grandfather and I would watch John Wayne movies for days straight whenever I visited and ever since then I check out just about every Western that i can get my greedy little hands on. The problem has been that Westerns went out with Silverado. Even went they try them lately like the big name, and coincidentally excellent, 3:10 to Yuma they struggle at the box office. So what was once America's only original type of cinema and the one time savior of the film industry has been reduced to straight to video (Renagade etc.), or high profile films that wander out to minor theatrical runs (Seraphim Falls etc.) To the former category we add the Casper Van Dien actioneer Aces N' Eights. The results in Straight to DVD westerns has not been good to say the least. They have been plainly awful (Ghost Rock & Renegade), or merely passable fare (Miracle at Sage Creek & Avenging Angel). Which category does this one fall into you may ask, well neither really... The film starts out with a group of hired guns led by the vicious Tate (Jeff Kober) running a group of people, in Texas, in typical violent Western fashion. This was pretty much the last straw for Luke Rivers (Casper Van Dien) who rides off in search of a better life. The story picks up 3 years later in the Arizona Territory. As is the case in many westerns a greedy landgrabber Mr. Howard (William Atherton) is keen on buying, or stealing all the parcels of land in the path of the railroad. To accomplish this goal he has hired the aforementioned Tate to deal with some of the more stubborn landowners. The foremost of these landowners being Thurmond Prescott, the amazingly still grinning and spry as ever Ernest Borgnine who has, conveniently enough, taken in Luke. Further compounding Mr. Howard's attempts to grab the land by any means necessary is the arrival of of Jess Riley (Jack Noseworthy) a lawyer from Chicago who has the audacity to actually seek a peaceful resolution to the current crisis, but since when has that made a good western? Therefore, Tate brings on another gunslinger DC Cracker (Bruce Boxleitner) a very mysterious is he or isn't he a bad guy character. Together they attempt to run off the landowner's behind Mr. Riley's back. ***Spoilers*** As one can probably guess the gunslinger's manage to gun down Mr. Prescott, and the reformed Luke is forced to strap on his guns once again as the film builds to a pretty dang impressive showdown between the railroad men and Rivers. This film isn't without share of problems the scenes with the landowner's getting gunned down at times seemed a little redundant and Luke's relationship with the local schoolmarm Jo Tanner (Deidre Quinn) is very underdeveloped. the film clocks in at a brisk 87 minutes and it would've been nice to see them take an extra half hour to flesh some of the relationships out, but don't let that deter you as the script, from Pale Rider scribe Dennis Shryack and fist timer Ronald M. Cohen really picks up more and more momentum as it goes. Veteren TV project vet Craig R. Baxley (Action Jackson & half the Stephen King miniseries ever made) handles the project with a very steady and at times stylish hand. He really accomplishes more than one would think possible on a three and half week shoot. What further propels this film forward is the cast Casper Van Dien has never been better as the grizzled gunhand, Ernest Borgnine is simply unbelievable as his eyes twinkle, he rides horseback with a shotgun, and still looks menacing and he was born in 1917! Jeff Kober oozes menace as Tate, Bruce Boxleitner nearly steals the show (he would have if every one else hadn't been so good as well) as the aging gunslinger. Jack Noseworthy looks and nails his role as the good guy lawyer and Deidre Quinn did very well with what she was given. When all is said and done this is a rip-roaring Western like they used to make and is by far and wide an extreme overachiever in the straight to DVD realm. The last frame felt like a bit of a cop out, but still if you are a fan of Westerns, action, or just good old fun in the movies don't let anything stop you from seeing Aces N' Eights... 7/10 As usual my apologies for my horrid spelling/grammar...

• Technically Well Made But Overly Familiar

  FightingWesterner2009-12-12

  Local railroad boss William Atherton sends hired killers Jeff Kober and Bruce Boxleitner to get rid of pesky landowners like Ernest Borgnine, who refuse to sell out. Complicating things for Atherton is progressive thinking railroad executive Jack Noseworthy and Borgnine's hired hand Casper Van Dien. A competent cast of familiar character actors try hard, but this is pretty much done in by the extreme familiarity of the material (see Once Upon A Time In The West) and the fact that the script focuses on too many characters at once, resulting in a lot of half-formed characterizations, sort of like a television series highlight reel. As usual with director Craig R. Baxley, it's well made and the action scenes are expertly handled. However, Baxley (as well as most modern filmmakers) seems to have left out the nuances that made many of the older westerns true classics. One thing I could never understand about these type of westerns is the railroad's desire to to take the whole ranch in order to lay a single five-foot wide track. Didn't those wackos ever hear of an easement?