Lucky Number Slevin (2006)

(Flash Review)Not that Hollywood is always bad but this is super glossy, has big star power, has an overly engineered story and just feels trite. This movie has several twists, twists that cheat the audience as it doesn't really leave you any clues that you can trace back to earlier scenes; aside from the overarching plot arc which is abandoned for the majority of the movie. The granular twists come out of nowhere and you just have to go along with it, thus they weren't smartly interwoven into the script. And for a film with so many A-List actors, Hartnett is the main actor….Hartnett! and half the time he is wearing a towel and acting overly snarky. I'll give credit to the production crew and the cinematographer as the scenes looked bold and were visually striking however the pacing felt awkward. Overall, this tried to and succeeded in coming off cocky enough to think it outsmarted such classics as The Usual Suspects or SE7EN, for example, without giving you enough charm to care for any of the characters. In the end, I just cleared out some stale movie queue fodder which was only in their because the movie title was unique enough to stick with me from '06.

There should definitely be more movies like this, but unfortunately crime comedies seem to be a dying genre. The only two such movies I know of coming out soon are Steven Soderbergh's Logan Lucky and Edgar Wright's Baby Driver. It checks pretty much all of the blocks that need to be checked in a satisfying and proficient manner. The actors are all well cast and own their performances of distinct and likable characters. The plot is complex, but exposed with enough clarity that it is easy to be on the same page that the writer wants you to be on. There is an excellent twist at the end that I won't spoil, but I will say that it is a shocking twist that is very hard to predict and is shocking without insulting your intelligence with its simplicity. The twist also does not cheat by withholding information like in Guy Ritchie movies.Our story follows Slevin Kelevra who is caught in the middle of a war between two crime bosses when they both mistake him for someone else. Slevin is an immediately likable protagonist in his wit, down to earth manner, and confusion that matches our own. The remainder of the cast consists of several minor characters that all get good exposition. They don't feel like real people, but they are all distinct and enjoyable to watch which is good. The Boss and the Rabbi have a good separate but equal vibe; they play the same role in the plot but are very different people that are not presented in a way that is meant to make them parallel each other too strongly. Lindsay serves as Slevin's periodic escape from the madness of the situation he is caught in, although she is able to help him at a few points. Mr. Goodkat is the mysterious wildcard stonily played by Bruce Willis. The only major character that I thought was not incorporated well was Birkowski (Stanley Tucci). Along with the aforementioned characters, there are a few other little characters that don't get much screen time but are very enjoyable when they are on screen. The characters are played by an all-star cast, but I thought every actor fit their role pretty well and weren't just selected for their talent just as much as their ability to sell tickets. The world that the movie creates is very true to its identity, which I won't fully describe for spoiler reasons. But it made me feel as if everything I saw and heard could be important. Amidst the plot it was also able to fit in clever dialogue throughout. The conversations and one-liners are reminiscent of Pulp Fiction and Ocean's Eleven, though I felt that Lucky Number Slevin did better than Pulp in terms of dialogue. However, it did not feel as though it was ripping off either movie. It had an engaging and unique visual style, and I would definitely want director of photography Peter Sova based on the work he did here. There is nothing in this movie that hasn't been seen before, but it was executed especially well enough that it didn't have to do anything special to compensate.Last I checked, this is still on Netflix, so I would try to catch it before it gets taken down. And who knows, maybe Netflix will come out with its own crime comedy if enough people watch this. It may not become your favorite movie, but I would be surprised if it didn't entertain you at least a little bit. If nothing else, it should hold your attention for two hours and brighten your weekend a little. Overall Rating: 8.4/10.

I remember the trailer for "Lucky Number Slevin", some sort of hit-man movie with some "Ocean's Eleven" style and humor thrown in. The real shocker is that it's absolutely nothing like that. There are hit men involved as well as some humor sprinkled here and there (primarily in the beginning) but it's much more of a gangster/crime movie. The kind of story that keeps you guessing (although, for anyone paying attention, the twist is pretty evident early on).What's disappointing is how seriously it plays the subject matter. For all of the eccentric characters introduced, and the humorous dialog in the first act, it really needed that levity maintained throughout. Once that comic tone disappears, it's a lot less interesting.To its credit, the late-hour twists don't feel cheap like I was expecting them to. But I feel like I've seen this story before. And a great deal of it is oddly lifeless.5/10

For anyone who is into gangster movies (and I am ) Lucky Number Slevin should be a must see). I see comparisons made to The Usual Suspects, and Pulp Fiction (both movies had Bruce Willis (in Pulp Fiction it was Butch Coolidge and here, it is Mr. Goodkat)). I would add Reservoir Dogs to the list where you had characters named after Colors: Mr. White, Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Blue, and Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino). Here you had "Rabbi" (Ben Kingsley), "Boss" (Morgan Freeman), Goodkat, Elvis, and of course, Slevin (named after a horse), and Kelevra (Hebrew for "Bad Dog"). I am not going to spoil the movie because of the mystery element to it: Except to say that there is no one who is a hero, anti-hero, and even Victim (except perhaps Slevin's (Josh Hartnett) mom). There are a lot of bad people in this movie: How bad you may ask? Goodkat, who is a sociopath hit man, does one decent thing in the movie, and is not close to the worst character in the movie. There are four worse then he is. If there is a moral character in the movie it is Lindsey (Lucy Liu) who is the love interest of Slevin (real name Henry), but even she is far from perfect. I will say this much: If you get through the violence, mystery, betrayal, revenge, and everything that Henry goes through, you will be rewarded. Major Spoiler: By the way, Henry does end up with Lindsey (so he gets a happy ending), but how he gets there? Watch and find out. 10/10 stars