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 colored sets covered in graphic wallpaper, the film has an almost comicbook-like feel, the emphasis being on visual entertainment rather than believability. When 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 neighbor, Lindsey (Lucy Liu), Slevin is kidnapped by two thugs and taken to meet the Boss (Morgan Freeman). Explaining that he is not Nick gets him nowhere, as the Boss and his arch rival, the Rabbi (Ben Kingsley), both pull Slevin (a wiseguy who spends much of the film in a lavender towel) 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 lighthearted charm. Even when orchestrating cold-blooded murder, the film's lead villains never seem too threatening. This is due in large part to the strong tongue-in-cheek performances of Bruce Willis, Ben Kingsley, and Morgan Freeman. Many of the film's plot 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 is never meant to 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, with particular attention paid to each villain's dwelling, and with the production design often saying more than the characters themselvesRead full review
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 colored sets covered in graphic wallpaper, the film has an almost comicbook-like feel, the emphasis being on visual entertainment rather than believability. The clever dialogue and romance that grows between Hartnett and Liu gives the film a lighthearted charm. Even when orchestrating cold-blooded murder, the film's lead villains never seem too threatening. This is due in large part to the strong tongue-in-cheek performances of Bruce Willis, Ben Kingsley, and Morgan Freeman. Many of the film's plot 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 is never meant to 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, with particular attention paid to each villain's dwelling, and with the production design often saying more than the characters themselves All in all in a very good movie, something different and unexpected when you first watch it and fun to watch again.Read full review
First off, let me start by saying that this is one of the smartest movies I have seen in awhile. The writing is incredibly well done. The dialogue between the different characters pulls you right in by being quich and catchy. I wasn't exactly sure about the whole idea and concept behind this movie as I walked into it tonight, since all it took was a fifteen second glimpse of a TV trailer and the ambiguous claim about a case of mistaken identity that uncoiled my interest into full blown curiosity. I was floored and blown away by the movie and at the same time really proud of trusting my gut feeling about good flicks. I was thrown off many times by the black humor since I knew it wasn't a comedy as Slevin (Josh Hartnett) had what seemed like a really unlucky chain of events that have spiraled him into a big, hot mess. As he arrives in New York to meet up with an old school friend after being fired from work, cheated on by his girlfriend back home and mugged down the block, all he finds is an empty apartment and no sign of Nick, his old friend. He proceeds to shower and dress as unexpectedly the next door neighbor, Lucy Liu, drops by to borrow some sugar. They become quick friends with matching quirky personalities and from that point on things go from laughingly bad to worse. Slevin is mistaken for Nick, who apparently owes money to two rivaling mafia type bosses who hate each other and he gets pulled into their personal war. This movie was so full of twists and turns that I forgot to eat my snacks. I recommend not reading too much about it and skipping long trailers because this beauty can be given away on a silver platter and to miss that feeling in the theater of realizing the true story would be a sin. I was really impressed by the actors in this movie and I think Josh who looks like a teen-movie type of an actor did a brilliant job! Bruce Willis is also quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, here as a slick top class assassin, I was impressed greatly! I enjoyed the twisted suspense, murder mystery comic relief type of a story so much that I was unable to concentrate on my book on the way home. I couldn't read or think, all I was consumed by was the story. This movies is an odd-ball, eccentric, quirky, unconventional and refreshing cinematographic achievement. The line between good and bad guy was blurred consitantly and the story dug deeper and deeper into my curious brain. I'm really glad I got to see it on the big screen. And last but not last let me tell you, the loud people in front of me who where eatting and laughing quickly became mutes so sucked into the story that I forgot I was furious with them before. It kept everyone entertained and made them gasp at the right time and the hip music at the end really wrapped the whole thing together nicely.Read full review
I've never seen this movie until my brother recommended it, it did not dissapoint. Good solid story and good action.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This film was very engaging! Actors as well as the action and clever in how it gets you think!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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