CORPORATE LINE: It all starts with a horse. Then an innocent man is mistaken for someone who owes money to a bookie. And when Mr. Goodkat (Bruce Willis), the most notorious assassin around, blows into town, everyone knows something big is about to burst. But what? Paul McGuigan’s delectable murder mystery, Lucky Number Slevin, is a fun, fast-paced thoroughbred of a thriller that is a sheer delight to track. Try and crack it, if you can!
Slevin (Josh Hartnett) comes to New York to visit his friend Nick, but finds his apartment empty. “I think Nick is in trouble,” says Lindsey (Lucy Liu), his neighbor. This becomes clear to Slevin when he opens the door expecting to see cute little Lindsey and gets a henchman’s knuckles instead. The boss (Morgan Freeman, and later Ben Kingsley) wants to see Nick, and Slevin can’t prove he’s not Nick because his pocket got picked that morning. Soon he finds himself in the middle of a high-profile murder being plotted by one of New York’s biggest crime bosses. Exactly what kind of trouble is Nick in?
McGuigan has crafted a densely stylish film noir from Jason Smilovic’s swift, tight, and furious script. Lucky Number Slevin’s sly humor leaves you smiling as you contemplate the beauty of a Kansas City shuffle.
THE REVIEW: Lucky Number Slevin is quite the thriller. With all the film’s holes the cast make up for it with great appearances. Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley shine in their roles as the villains. Bruce Willis plays another Bruce Willis type character.
THE EXTRAS: There are two commentaries—the first by actors Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu and writer Jason Smilovic and the second featuring director Paul McGuigan. Both are interesting—but it doesn’t make sense why they couldn’t have released one solid commentary featuring the director along with the rest of the cast and the screenwriter. McGuigan solo leaves a lot of blank areas and it kills his feature.
“Making Lucky Number Slevin” – This featurette is a pretty basic featurette with some background information on the movie—most of which is given during the commentary.
Finally, there are deleted scenes and an alternate ending and neither adds much to the film.
FRANKLY: The film moves at a good pace. Even the flashbacks don’t slow the film down. Lucky Number Slevin definitely comes from the school of Hitchcock and Tarantino. There are plenty of twists even with its flaws.
+ Charlie Craine
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