Stars: Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci, Rick Bramucci, Kevin Chamberlin, Oliver Davis, Victorio Fodor, Sam Jaeger, Dorian Missick, Shira Leigh, Janet Lane

Director: Paul McGuigan

Summary: Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman co-star in this drama about mobsters and the unwitting victim (Josh Hartnett), who winds up in the middle of a murder scheme. This film originally screened at Sundance.

Directed by Paul McGuigan, LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN is a mistaken identity thriller, starring Josh Hartnett as a guy who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. With boldly coloured sets covered in graphic wallpaper, the film has an almost comic book feel, the emphasis being on visual entertainment rather than believability. When wise-guy Slevin (Hartnett) shows up at his friend Nick's apartment in Manhattan, Nick is nowhere to be found. After meeting Nick's sharp and flirty neighbour, Lindsey (Lucy Liu), Slevin is kidnapped by two thugs and taken to meet the Boss (Morgan Freeman). Explaining that he is in fact not Nick, gets him nowhere, as the Boss and his arch rival, the Rabbi (Ben Kingsley), both pull Slevin deeper and deeper into a complicated underworld of murder and revenge. The clever dialogue and romance that grows between Hartnett and Liu gives the film a light-hearted charm and even when orchestrating cold-blooded murder, the film's lead villains, never seem too threatening. This is due in large, to the strong tongue-in-cheek performances of Bruce Willis, Ben Kingsley, and Morgan Freeman. Many of the plot's twists rely on camera tricks and quick editing, which are used to deliberately confuse the viewer. While the storyline is convoluted and the film falls into a self-explanatory trap near the end, the world of LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN, must never be taken too seriously. Displaying a Tarantino-like self-awareness, the film makes frequent references to James Bond and vintage cinema, and contains such strong visual elements that viewers are forced to notice each character's surroundings. The film is incredibly stylish and old-fashioned in this way, and with particular attention paid to each villain's dwelling, the production design often says more than the characters themselves.

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How boring it is to label a movie Tarantino-esque anymore. The thing is, when it comes to an offering like Lucky Number Slevin, the shoe fits, and the result is anything but boring. Gruesome killings, arid wit, self-reflexive pop culture references, an A-list cast, and style-heavy production values abound, which gives the proceedings an epoxy bond that seals the Q.T. homage factor. Josh Hartnett--who spends a lot of buffed-up time with his shirt off--is Slevin Kelevra, a hapless fellow visiting his New York friend Nick. But Nick has disappeared, which sets off a mistaken-identity thrill ride when two goons grab Slevin (he's in Nick's apartment so he must be Nick) and take him to their crime lord boss, the Boss (Morgan Freeman). The Boss doesn't care about Slevin's wrong-man protests; he just wants the $96,000 Nick owes him. In one of many offers he can't refuse, Slevin has to agree to murder the son of the Boss's felonious arch rival, the Rabbi (Ben Kingsley) or take the bullet himself. But Slevin turns out to be no ordinary patsy. Thrown into the ingeniously designed production, clever plot twists, and academic nods to Bond, Hitchcock, and obscure old cartoons are Lucy Liu as a sexy coroner, Stanley Tucci as an obsessed cop, and Bruce Willis as a wily hit man with his finger in many pots. With so much visual and narrative trickery, there's almost too much to absorb in one viewing of this convoluted jigsaw puzzle of revenge and entertaining mayhem. Lucky Number Slevinisn't quite up to par with similarly brainy thrillers like Mementoand The Usual Suspects, but the prospect of seeing it again in order to get your bearings is just as appealing.--Ted Fry

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	2006
Release Date:	June 19, 2006
Runtime:	109 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	E D R 4099
Keywords:	General, Lucky, Drama, Number, Slevin
Genre:	Drama