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Aces 'N Eights (2008) DVD Review
Aces 'N Eights (2008) DVD Credits:
Aces 'N Eights (2008) Directed by:
Craig R. Baxley
Aces 'N Eights (2008) Written by:
Dennis Shryack, Ronald M. Cohen
Aces 'N Eights (2008) Cast:
Casper Van Dien, Bruce Boxleitner, Ernest Borgnine
Aces 'N Eights (2008) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Aces 'N Eights (2008) DVD Release Date:
12th May 2008
Our Rating: Extras Rating:

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Aces 'N Eights (2008) Synopsis:

Already taking a gamble settling the uncharted west, the peaceful settlers of a town destined for railroad greatness suddenly find themselves beind ruthlessly gunned down. With no law and order to be found, justice falls onto the shoulders of an elderly rancher and an accomplished, but retired, gunslinger.

Aces 'N Eights (2008) DVD Review:

Westerns are tough. Filmmakers can’t just take the “middle-of-the-road” route like they can in other genres. In a horror film, the director can throw buckets of gore at the screen and while he or she might not be making a classic, horror moviegoers will eat it up like candy. Likewise, a feel-good romantic comedy can utilize the same old tried and true “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back” formula and viewers will have a fun (if predictable time). But for my money, westerns don’t have it quite so easy.

Maybe it’s because there have been so many of them made in the past, or maybe it’s because they’re not made very much any more so we expect more, but these days a tried and true Western just doesn’t do it anymore. Westerns these days have to fall into specific camps, whether it’s the postmodern redemptive Western (Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven) or the over-the-top Western that embraces the clichés and exploits them (Sam Raimi’s The Quick and the Dead). If not those two, then you’d better make one heck of a good homage to the films of Peckinpah, Leone, or Ford. Whatever the case may be, unlike the aforementioned film genres, you can’t just put guys on horses shooting at each other to make an enjoyable western. Just look at Aces ‘N Eights to see why.

Aces ‘N Eights is a perfect example of a Western that’s simply too middle-of-the-road to be entertaining. It’s got all the elements that you’d expect out of a western: a retired and reluctant gunslinger, an old and innocent farmhand, a damsel in distress, and a tough-as-nails villain who doesn’t take crap from anybody. While in some cases, such genre clichés are comforting, but in the case of the western they’ve been done to death for so long that they do nothing to make the film entertaining. If filmmakers are going to use the tried and true genre conventions, they’ve got to do something new and exciting with it. For instance, in the aforementioned film, The Quick and the Dead, Sam Raimi made an entertaining send-up of all the clichés by essentially crafting a live-action Looney Tunes western. It wasn’t high art, but it was sure fun to watch.

Aces ‘N Eights, on the other hand, doesn’t go far enough in any direction. The characters are classic western archetypes, but they’re too thinly drawn to compare with the likes of the characters in Unforgiven. They also don’t have enough style and charisma to match up with the characters found in The Man With No Name series. And lastly, while they may be two dimensional, they’re not flat enough to be self-referentially funny. As such, all we’re left with in Aces ‘N Eights is a shadow of tons of other westerns that are better and more unique in their own ways.

There are a couple of extra features on the DVD. First up is “Interview With A Legend – A Chat with Oscar Winner Ernest Borgnine,” which is an endearing talk with Borgnine, who happens to be the best thing about the movie. Up next is another interview, in “On the Set With Casper Van Dien.” This one is less entertaining, but still worth looking at if you’re a fan of the movie. The last extra is a brief but worthy inclusion called “A ‘Wild Bunch’ of Surprises – Ernie Gets a Gift.” In this extra, the crew gives Borgnine his original gun holster from The Wild Bunch as a gift.

Speaking of Ernest Borgnine, I should mention that he’s easily the best thing about the movie. He’s quite the B-movie acting legend, and it’s a joy to see him in a film again, even if he’s slumming it here. Although I was bored during a lot of the movie, I was always excited for his next appearance on screen. I may not recommend the movie, but if you’re a fan of Borgnine, you might just want to weather the rest of this mediocre western just to see him. Otherwise, just watch The Wild Bunch again.

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Aces 'N Eights (2008) DVD review written by: Anthony Berk

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