Lucky Number Slevin

Review by  Ruth Ferguson

A convergence of cosmic proportions is stirring at movie theaters. For those in the preponderance that are staying away from their local multiplex to simply feed the all-consuming DVD craze – ushers with pitch-forks are on their way to your house, by the way - here’s the attestation:

Exhibit A: when was the last time Bruce Willis had two good movies out in a 2 year period, never mind two months (16 Blocks)? When was the last time Morgan Freeman played a devilishly good bad guy (You with the “Hard Rain” promo shirt on, hands down!)?

Exhibit B: Name the last successful modern take on film noir? OK, there have been a couple, but never has one been played out so scrumptiously successful as the one here.

Heaven in the form of a ticket stub, and proof that global warning might just have started affecting what goes down in the Hollywood ideas factory, Lucky Number Slevin is a well-performed, well-told mish-mash of genres that’s straight-out of golden-day Hollywood.

A film fixing on a case of mistaken identity, it tells of a man (Josh Hartnett, who isn’t annoying for once – sorry, just not a fave) who finds himself caught in a war between two rival crime-lords, The Boss and The Rabbi.

The movie opens with a wheelchair-bound chap named Goodkat (Bruce Willis, again stretching his acting muscles) striking up a dialogue with a sluggish commuter about a bet gone wrong – one, Kansas City Shuffle. The film then quickly shifts gears to introduce the abovementioned Slevin (Hartnett). The transition might leave you thinking that Willis’s character intro was just an interesting random event that’s tacked onto the start of the movie for hells sake – but misdirection and the deceiving appearance is just part of the film’s charm. All trains lead to understanding by films end.

To expose most of the film’s magic tricks, being the interesting ensemble of characters and their plights, would be like ditching a rabbit for a guinea pig in a top-hat trick. Wouldn’t be quite as interesting, would it? Thus, we’ll keep some of the magic veiled…simply telling you to expect a band of interweaving characters (Lucy Liu’s detective-wannabe, a big time crime boss played by the abovesaid Morgan Freeman, a Jewish mobster played by Ben Kingsley, and an over-his-head copper, played with relish by Stanley Tucci) and a sting or two at tail’s end.

The film has the same sensibilities as Scottish director Paul McGuigan’s previous indie crime flick, Gangster No. 1, but with this film’s more well-known cast, unbounded plot twists and good-time action sequences, it’s a much more appealing and polished film. Had a couple of the performances been a bit less by-the-numbers - particularly Kingsley’s turn as the Jewish mobster, what’s with Sir Ben these days? He’s really slacking off - it might even have been worthy of a Pulp Fiction-sized accolade. As it is, it’s a slick, fun film that’ll entertain anyone that’s sick of shelling out the greenbacks for the ‘same ol’ thing’.

3.5 out of 5

Lucky Number Slevin
Australian release: 10th August, 2006
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Lucy Liu, Ben Kingsley, Stanley Tucci
Director: Paul McGuigan
Website: Click here.