LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN

"I'm not even him"

Slevin

Slevin (Hartnett) has to be one of the unluckiest men you could ever meet. Arriving in New York to visit his friend after loosing his apartment and girlfriend to another man, he is mugged, his wallet is stolen and he gets a broken nose. Thinking things can't get any worse, he arrives at his friend's apartment only to hear a knock at the door and two gangsters grab him and take him to their boss (Freeman). He tells him that he owes him $96,000 and the only way he can repay it to do him a favour, kill his rival's son. Then he meets the rival, the Rabbi (Kingsley) who tells him he owes him $32,000 and he has three days to pay it. The problem is that they both think he is his friend and if he doesn't comply with either demand he will end up dead.

The twisting and turning gangster thriller has become the stable of the current cinematic landscape but can 'Lucky Number Slevin' keep the fortunate run going?

After making an impressive debut in the genre with 'Gangster No. 1', British director Paul McGuigan gathers together an all-star cast for another look at the criminal underworld. Like many a film in the genre, this is a high concept gangster thriller that twists and turns through the plot making you guess were they is going next and who the characters actually are. The problem with this film is that the plot is mostly very predictable.

From the introduction you know exactly what is going to happen. As the movie progresses, you might think that something unexpected might occur but until the film final, slight twist you can predict everything that is coming. The problem is that the inevitable flashback sequence to show you how the plot came together is over long and offers nothing that you didn't know anyway as most of it was shown in the original set up.

Were the film succeeds however is in the performances and the dialogue. With a cast that includes Josh Hartnett, Morgan Freeman, Sir Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci and Bruce Willis, you have a collection of character actors that eat up the screen every time they grace it. Oscar winning legends Morgan Freeman and Sir Ben Kingsley have fun as the two rival crime bosses, commanding your attention throughout. Bruce Willis is clinical as heartless assassin Mr. Goodkat. Stanley Tucci is as good as ever as detective Brikowski. Josh Hartnett is good as the lead and proves that with a decent script and a good director that he can finally start living up to the hype that greeted his early career. Stealing the show however is Lucy Liu. As Slevin's neighbour Lindsey, she is just so loveable and nice, very different from her usual harder roles that she has been involved with.

Despite the extreme predictability, 'Lucky Number Slevin' is enjoyable for the quality of the performances and the dialogue they delivers. You'll know exactly what is coming but you will still enjoy getting there anyway.

Gangster No. 1

Layer Cake

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2006