Great Film: Lucky Number Slevin
Wow! Great Noir Caper Flick
2006 Sundance Film Festival From the opening scene in Lucky Number
Slevin, you will be straining to keep up. People are getting killed
left and right, and it's never clear until the end of the movie how
they are all connected. But you know it fits somehow and Scottish
director Paul McGuigan (Wicker Park) manages to keep you guessing while
firmly grabbing your attention and holding it with hardly a second to
take a breath.
In the film noir tradition, but with the intense and graphic violence
of the Lock Stock and Layer Cake genre, Slevin is really a caper movie,
and frankly reminded me more of The Sting than anything else. It dances
nimbly from grisly stomach-churning action to clever and light-hearted
banter. This could only be accomplished by a truly incredible cast, led
by Josh Hartnett in an outstanding performance, great work by Lucy Liu,
Bruce Willis doing his thing, and supported by the always excellent
Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley. There's even a little time for Stanley
Tucci.
Liu plays Lindsay, the next-door-neighbor/natural sleuth/coroner/love
interest who discovers Slevin in her neighbor Nick's apartment. They
mystery that immediately engages her is what happened to Nick, who
never shows up. However, plenty of people do show up, mistaking Slevin
for Nick, and before long he is neck deep in murder contracts, called
debts and warring gang factions. Hartnett plays the role to perfection.
I've never seen him this good. He is both convincing and empathetic as
a glib, fearless victim of mistaken identity, yet filled with
confidence that he can make his plan work.
This is a terrific film, assuming you can stomach the bloody violence.
The pieces fit neatly together (well, I have one bone to pick with the
scriptwriter, but it would be revealing too much to share it). I highly
recommend Lucky Number Slevin.
Cast
- Slevin Kelevra played by Josh Hartnett
- The Rabbi played by Ben Kingsley
- Sloe played by Mykelti Williamson
- The Boss played by Morgan Freeman
- Mr. Goodkat played by Bruce Willis
- Lindsey played by Lucy Liu
- Nick Fisher played by Sam Jaeger
