The Ho Train Caboose

Georgia Sykes (Keys) and her partner Sharice (Henson) are preparing for the biggest gig they have ever booked in their budding assassin careers: to smoke Aces.

From the aptly titled film, Smokin Aces, a voyeuristic suit-up scene moved from three stars to four the more I considered it's theme and character development.

The scene opens with Georgia slapping a clip into a handgun -- an inviting suit-up scene from the start. She is in a hotel room at the Nomad, several floors below where Buddy 'Aces' Israel is hiding out in his swank penthouse suite.

Sharice is in another hotel (adjacent to the Nomad) setting up a rather large gun with a direct view from the room's window (through the gun's scope) into her partner's. They communicate through earpieces.

Georgia suits up with a kevlar vest, three handguns, and 'ho' attire as a disguise -- hos being the only things going in and out of Aces room, passing heavily armed security, on a regular schedule. The loaded guns are tucked away in her vest. She utilizes her knee-high, ho boots as additional storage for ammo clips. She then applies ample make-up, pulls on a Betty Page wig, and covers the bullet proof vest with a 'ho-ish' furry one.

It seems that Smokin' Aces, as a whole, is looked down upon by many movie goers. I know most of my peers, even the ones with sophisticated tastes, seem to regard my penchant for this comic-book-zany-over-the-top-shoot-em-up as ill conceived or misguidedly foolish. But let this suit-up scene illustrate details of character development that make it near and dear to me.

Earlier in the film, we meet Georgia and Sharice during a meeting with their handler to bid for the Aces hit. Georgia wears glasses, dresses modestly, and speaks in a more refined gangsta fashion in contrast to Sharice who favors a more hip-hop flair in her wardrobe and rough attitude. Later, when checking into the hotel, Georgia exhibits reserved behavior and embarrassment as Sharice gets all buck-wild on the concierge about letting prostitutes into the establishment (this creates a societal bad image of women in her eyes).

Sharice, however, gets turned on by seeing her partner degrade herself by dressing like a ho. Sharice peeps on Georgia through the scope, uses the intimacy of the earpiece to coo sweet little nothings into her ear as she changes...These details of Georgia's role playing exposing Sharice's lust and romantic interest are beautiful touches.

The theme of suiting up for violence (kevlar, guns, ammo) and lust (makeup, sexy boots, wig) are two voyeuristic pleasures inherent in films for the audience: Smokin' Aces coalesces the two into one -- and comments on the very nature of voyeurism. As we sit and watch a character in a movie suit-up, we see another character sitting and watching her suit-up. A dense suit-up scene if you care to examine further...