Lucky Number Slevin Review

[wbassett]

Actors: Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley
Directors: Paul McGuigan
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating
Studio: Weinstein Company
DVD Release Date: September 12, 2006
Run Time: 110 minutes



Ever have one of those days where nothing goes right? How about one of those days where you lose your job, find out your girlfriend is cheating on you, and oh... not one, but two rival mob gangs think you're someone you're not... someone that owes them an awful lot of money.

That's the kind of day Slevin Kelevra (Josh Hartnett) is having, and it just keeps getting worse. Throw in two neurotic mob bosses, and a hit man playing both sides and you have the making for a 'Kansas City Shuffle'.

Lucky Number Slevin is one of those movies that people seem to either like or they don't like. The fact that it keeps you guessing what's going on up until the end is part of its appeal and charm to me. Bruce Willis is perfect as a dead pan hit man, and Morgan Freeman and Sir Ben Kingsley chew up the scenery.

Lucy Liu also turns in one of her better performances in quite awhile as the girl next door with a Nancy Drew type detective streak that could end up more harmful than good for her.

The dialog is quick and witty and the story is a fun romp. Not a comedy, but also not a hard core action flick either. It's a perfect popcorn movie to sit back and have some fun with. The ending is pretty good too!

Slevin (Josh Hartnett)
This isn't the first time this has happened, you know.

Lindsey (Lucy Liu) Speaking Rapid Fire
You mean this isn't the first time a crime lord asked you to kill the gay son of a rival gangster to pay off a debt that belongs to a friend whose place you're staying in as a result of losing your job, your apartment, and finding your girlfriend in bed with another guy?

Slevin
No, this is the first time THAT happened, but Nick has been painting me into corners since we were kids.

This is one movie that I couldn't help but like every character, even as despicable as the bad guys are the dialog and banter keeps it light and fun. It's not full of itself like Ocean's Eleven and the fact it doesn't give the plot away at the beginning is refreshing. Some people will pick up early on what's going on, but most won't until the end, and then everything and all the subtle hints throughout the movie come together and make sense.

I picked it up at Hollywood Video for under $5 and recommend it to those that like a fun ride with great actors that don't just phone in their performances. So get your popcorn, turn the lights down and fire up the projector or TV and find out exactly what a Kansas City Shuffle is...

For the Fun Factor.

[Sonnie]

I rented this one on a whim... had not heard of it before I saw it on the shelf. I was surprised at how well I ended up liking it. It's a really good movie.

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Not the one I watched.

[wbassett]

Sorry I pulled the stats from the full screen version, it's 1.66:1