Director: Paul McGuigan
Format: DVD
Disk Features: Commentary, deleted scenes, trailers, making of
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu
Trailer
”Sometimes there’s more to life than just livin’.” ~ Mr. Goodkat
A good intrigue movie is hard to come by lately. In the days of Humphrey Bogart and French Film Noir, it seems that mystery was in its heyday. So, I really love to see something come out with a solid sense of style, snappy dialogue and a truly engrossing plot in the modern age of cinema. Few filmmakers nowadays seem to be able to roll those three criterion into one successful film, but every now and then, something special comes along.
Have you ever heard of a Kansas City Shuffle? Lucky Number Slevin begins with an explanation of just what one is. It all starts with a horse race, and a hot tip that makes it’s way around, only to land with one man’s family destroyed. Several years later, the mysterious Mr. Goodkat (Willis) returns to New York and one Slevin Kelevra (Hartnett) gets mistaken for someone he’s not. It seems that Nick Fisher is in trouble with the mob. Slevin, who’s staying at his friend Nick’s house, is abducted by both The Boss (Freeman) and The Rabbi (Kingsley), mistaking him for Fisher. Slevin discovers that he’s got to come up with several thousand dollars, in addition to killing a man, to get out from under the rival mob bosses thumbs. Meanwhile, he runs into Nick’s neighbor, Lindsey (Liu), who’s love of Columbo and a good mystery draws her into the plot.
The sets in Lucky Number Slevin are almost enough to make the movie worth watching by themselves. The incredibly cool wallpapers in Fisher’s apartment building are sheer eye candy. The Boss’s lair is beautifully constructed, right down to the dramatic staircase. The wardrobe, although not quite as elaborate, is aesthetic bliss as well.
After seeing Josh Hartnett in this movie, I needed an entire roll of paper towels to wipe the drool off of my chin. Going back through his filmography, I realized that I’d already seen a good portion of it. Not only is Hartnett easy on the eyes, he makes Lucky Number Slevin stand out as an example of his acting talent. Bruce Willis is great, because of his smooth delivery and wry smile. Freeman and Kingsley play wonderfully off of each other as the bitter rivals they are. Kingsley’s portrayal of a Rabbi is a tad bit over the top though. Liu is adorable in this movie. Her character is wonderfully sweet and adventurous.
The combination of great dialogue, lovely scenery and truly engrossing mystery make Lucky Number Slevin one of my top picks for the year. The twist is unpredictable and each of the characters is expertly played. After I rented this from Netflix, I had to make it part of my collection. I’ve watched it so many times since, I find it hard to believe that the film is only a year old. But, the replay value has proven to be worth the cost of the DVD. It’s also a film that I think both guys and girls can appreciate, without there being so much action as to be a “guy movie” and so much romance as to be a “chick flick”. If you’re a fan of Tarantino movies, it may be a great substitute to pop in the player when you’re sick of watching Kill Bill.
Overall Rating: 5
Hottie Rating: 5 (for Josh Hartnett spending half the movie in nothing but a towel – Meeeow!!)
Alternate Viewing: Brick
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IMDB Site
The Vocabulariast review
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