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Movie Review - Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Paul McGuigan |
| Starring: |
Josh Hartnett, Stanley Tucci, Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Lucy Liu |
| Rated: |
R (for strong violence, sexuality and language) |
| Length: |
109 minutes |
| Genre: |
Crime/Drama/Thriller |
| Tagline: |
Wrong Time. Wrong Place. Wrong Number. |
| Studio: |
The Weinstein Company |
| Website: |
Lucky Number Slevin |
| Release: |
April 7, 2006 |
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PLOT
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A case of mistaken identity throws Slevin (Hartnett) into the middle of a war being plotted by two of the city's
rival crime bosses: The Rabbi (Kingsley) and The Boss (Freeman). Slevin is under constant surveillance by
Detective Brikowski (Stanley Tucci) as well as the infamous assassin Goodkat (Bruce Willis) and finds himself having
to hatch his own ingenious plot to get them before they get him. Saving grace for Ben Kingsley's career ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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The law of retaliation. It's the primary law that New York crime bosses live by, at least according to Lucky
Number Slevin. Unfortunately for Josh "Squinty-Eyed" Hartnett, a case of mistaken identity drags him right
into the middle of this law in motion.
"Lucky Number Slevin? Come on, Johnny! That's the stupidest title ever! And Josh 'Wooden Boy' Hartnett?"
I know, I know. I thought the exact same thing when I originally heard the title. "What kind of lame attempt at
being clever through the use of a silly pun is this?" I thought to myself. But the title actually makes sense
within the context of the film. To say anymore would reveal too much of a major plot element, but it's a moment
where you'll say, "Ah, I get it now. OK, that's not so bad." And seriously, I want you to use that exact quote
so I don't look silly.
"Too late!"
Gee, thanks. As for Hartnett, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a charter member of his fan club. I typically
hold him as the standard bearer when I need a reference point for listless, unemotional acting. But the guy gives
it his sarcastic best here and delivers the most likeable character I've seen him portray.
It doesn't hurt that he's surrounded by a strong cast of actors playing a variety of entertaining, eccentric
characters. Lucy Liu is cute and inquisitive. Bruce Willis is a hitman who you truly believe is a stone cold
killer. Morgan Freeman dares the audience to still like him considering the fact that he's a crime boss. And
Ben Kingsley, after a huge slump of horrific movies (A Sound of
Thunder, BloodRayne) finally gets quality material to work with.
As much as I enjoyed the quirky characters, what really won me over is the movie's slightly complex and somewhat
unpredictable plot. Following the nonlinear storytelling of Lock Stock-era Ritchie, Slevin sets up
the basic premise and then the audience watches as the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. You may be able to
figure out where everything is headed by the halfway point, but it's still fun to watch how it gets there.
You may also be able to find a plot hole or two if you look hard enough, but I enjoyed the film too much to worry
about such silly nitpicking. If you're one of those spoilsports who brings your industrial-sized nitpicker to
every movie with you just so you can find things to complain about then just stay home and let everybody else
watch it in peace.
I can understand the argument that some of the dialogue feels a little contrived in an effort to appear clever,
but it didn't bother me. I can recognize the humor in lines such as, "Tell it to the one-legged man so he can
bump it down the road," and character reactions to quotes like this reveal that it isn't written to be pretentious,
just knowingly different.
If you're looking for a recent comparison then I'd say Slevin has a similar feel to 2005's highly
entertaining Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Though Slevin
isn't as consistently funny, it employs a similar dark comedy style and I think it has the better story and
more satisfying ending of the two.
If you're not easily offended then you might want to check out Lucky Number Slevin. Be warned: there are
a couple of quick, gratuitous sex scenes at the beginning of the movie that feel thrown in just for the sake of
pleasing the "perverted male" demographic, but as far as style goes we need more movies like this that put forth
a little extra effort to be cooler, more clever, and smarter than their peers.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- The character of Slevin was rewritten to fit Josh Hartnett. The character was originally more sarcastic and
less likable.
- Lucy Liu's character was also somewhat rewritten just for her.
- Screenwriter Jason Smilovic wrote the role of The Rabbi specifically for Ben Kingsley.
- Director McGuigan was surprised that Bruce Willis had no problem taking on a supporting role in the film:
"He called me in Montreal and asked why I hadn't called him. We didn't call him because we didn't think he would
do it!"
- Cast and crew came on set on their day off just to watch the filming of the nine minute scene where Freeman's
and Kingsley's characters square off.
- Josh Hartnett was in Sin City with Brittany Murphy who is in the upcoming
The Dead Girl with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Mama wouldn't be too pleased with the large amount of profanity (quite a few "f" bombs), sexual scenes (including
some male and female nudity), and graphic acts of violence. If you take a child to this then I'm personally
calling social services.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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Go ahead and use the trailer as a pretty good gauge as to whether or not you'd enjoy this.
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THE GIST
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If you like movies with quirky characters and a complicated plot that requires you to willingly keep everything
straight in your head as you follow along then Lucky Number Slevin certainly will entertain.
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