Movie Review: Lucky Number Slevin

Part mystery, part suspense, and part gangster flick, Lucky Number Slevin uses a slick and clever device to tell an otherwise straightforward story.

Slevin (Hartnett) is probably the most unlucky person in Manhattan. First he loses his job, then his apartment, then his girlfriend, then his wallet during a mugging. When he moves in with his buddy Nick, who has left the door open for him and never bothered to show up, troubles continue to find him. Mistaken identity puts Slevin in the middle of a gang war between the Boss (Freeman) and the Rabbi (Kingsley) in a fit of retaliation, after the Rabbi assassinated the Boss’s son. Meanwhile, a mysterious assassin, Mr. Goodkat (Willis) is pulling strings on both sides. What does he want? What is he up to?

The plot takes on a new twist when the Boss pressures Slevin to kill the Rabbi’s gay son. Slevin’s new girlfriend, Lindsey (Liu), has a conspiracy theory, and she’s itching to investigate further. Meanwhile, Slevin is under surveillance by a ruthless detective, Brikowski (Tucci). What does he want? What is he up to?

Hartnett (Sin City) is somewhat lackluster as Slevin. His nonchalant attitude, even during the most dire situation, is unsettling. Also, his character is rather unlikable, despite all the bad things that are happening to him. Hartnett’s transformation later also isn’t very convincing. Willis (16 Blocks) is cool, but his character seems too cold and unemotional to have any weight. Goodkat is all about mystery. But with that, we don’t really get to know him well.

Liu (Domino) has a fun role as Lindsey, a happy-go-lucky coroner who gets involved with Slevin and his troubles. Freeman (Batman Begins) is always impressive, even in a relative small role as the Boss. You can’t help but feel the evil and ruthlessness underneath his sophisticated exterior. Likewise, Kingsley (Oliver Twist) makes the best of his role as the conflicted Rabbi, even though the material fails to explore the potentially complex character. Tucci (Robots) plays the deplorable detective to perfection. From the moment he comes on screen, you know you want to loathe him. Now that’s acting.

The screenplay by Smilovic (Karen Sisco) is rather convoluted. The central idea is a smart one, and once you understand the story, there is a certain “a-ha” moment. It is clever. However, I think Smilovic tries too hard to be clever, and the way he structures and interweaves the plot and subplots makes it hard to understand. Eventually, all the pieces fall into place, but during the first half of the film, you can’t help but scratch your head and wonder: What is going on? Of course, if you pay attention, the character Mr. Goodkat actually explains a lot at the beginning of the film, especially he doesn’t tell you exactly what it is that you’re going to witness. That’s clever, but probably too clever.

Article Author: Ray Wong

Ray Wong is the author the novel, The Pacific Between, which won a 2006 IPPY Book Award. He also writes movie reviews for Actors Ink and Talk Entertainment. Other credits include the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Writers Post Journal, the Deepening. …

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