El caso Slevin

2006 Sundance Film Festival From the opening scene in Lucky Number Slevin, you will be straining to keep up. People are getting killed left and right, and it's never clear until the end of the movie how they are all connected. But you know it fits somehow and Scottish director Paul McGuigan (Wicker Park) manages to keep you guessing while firmly grabbing your attention and holding it with hardly a second to take a breath.

In the film noir tradition, but with the intense and graphic violence of the Lock Stock and Layer Cake genre, Slevin is really a caper movie, and frankly reminded me more of The Sting than anything else. It dances nimbly from grisly stomach-churning action to clever and light-hearted banter. This could only be accomplished by a truly incredible cast, led by Josh Hartnett in an outstanding performance, great work by Lucy Liu, Bruce Willis doing his thing, and supported by the always excellent Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley. There's even a little time for Stanley Tucci.

Liu plays Lindsay, the next-door-neighbor/natural sleuth/coroner/love interest who discovers Slevin in her neighbor Nick's apartment. They mystery that immediately engages her is what happened to Nick, who never shows up. However, plenty of people do show up, mistaking Slevin for Nick, and before long he is neck deep in murder contracts, called debts and warring gang factions. Hartnett plays the role to perfection. I've never seen him this good. He is both convincing and empathetic as a glib, fearless victim of mistaken identity, yet filled with confidence that he can make his plan work.

This is a terrific film, assuming you can stomach the bloody violence. The pieces fit neatly together (well, I have one bone to pick with the scriptwriter, but it would be revealing too much to share it). I highly recommend Lucky Number Slevin.

Lucky Number Slevin is an impressive action crime thriller with some flaws but the good outweighs the bad in this one. Director Paul McGuigan is admirable in making this movie about a guy named Slevin who after a case of mistake identity finds himself caught in the middle of a war between two rival crime bosses known as The Rabbi and The Boss. Josh Hartnett is good as Slevin who may know more about his situation than he's letting on or maybe not. Hartnett proves to be effective in the role. Morgan Freeman is great as The Boss but he isn't given much to do. The same can go for Ben Kinsgley as The Rabbi but he like Freeman still make the best of their villain roles. The rest of the cast including Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci, and Bruce Willis as a hit-man are solid as the supporting characters in their limited screen time. The few action sequences are well executed and the intricate but not too complicated plot keeps your interest. Despite some flaws with character development, this movie was better than expected. Overall Lucky Number Sleven is a good action crime thriller with an interesting premise and exceptional performances by the cast who making it a movie worth the time to watch.

Bruce Willis, Sir Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci and Josh Hartnett fill a cast line up every bit as impressive as say, Sin City. Leaving behind the sour taste of Wicker Park, Scottish McGuigan follows the likes of his own Gangster Number 1 with this incredibly cool, at times funny thriller that has somehow sneaked into the cinemas without much of a fuss. Supporting cast includes a very welcome cameo from a Jackie Brown star and a bunch of UK actors imitating their US counterpart's accents to perfection. The pairing of Sir Ben and Freeman alone is worth the price of admission, but this is Hartnett(as Slevin)'s film and perhaps it should not be too surprising that he carries it off effectively. In fact, none of the cast really put a foot wrong and even Lucy Liu is pretty adorable (against type if you believe the all the press).

Despite a reasonably confusing series of opening events, Slevin is essentially a straight forward, neat black comedy of errors(mistaken identity for one). The dialogue is at times razor sharp and the action is well shot. The body count climbs steadily as the movie progresses at a cracking pace that never becomes dull. Slevin is thematically similar to a few other choice stories, but like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Slevin should be enjoyed more for the ride and the audience should try not to guess ahead of the plot and let it unfold naturally. There will still be some surprises appearing even for the most avid film fans but like so many thrillers Slevin could be ruined from word of mouth. If it weren't for the warm, familiar feel of similar films, this little gem would be rated higher. Unfairly dismissed by some as confusing, wrongly compared to the legendary Usual Suspects - it's a league apart from the mess that was Revolver and doesn't outstay a welcome.

Oh, and Willis gets to call someone a 'f*** head'. Great stuff.

This crime thriller was really good. Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Stanley Tucci, and Lucy Liu did an excellent job in this movie. The plot to the movie was suspenseful and it had some twists near the end, which makes the movie great. This movie will shock and entertain you at the same time. It's a definite must see.

Much like Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959) Slevin tells the story about an average man (Josh Hartnett) who gets caught in an intricate and equally deadly web involving rival gangsters (Freeman, Kinsgley), a shady detective (Tucci), a world-renowned hit-man (Willis) and an irresistible girl-next-door type (Liu).

I first saw this film when it was released on DVD. The sad part of it being that it was in the Wal-Mart discount bin, A display that everyone knows is filled with either really old movies or really bad ones. Being equipped with a five-dollar bill and no knowledge of the movie, I decided to give it a shot.

Fast forward a few hours later, and I was taken aback by what I had just watched. Lucky Number Slevin completely took me for a ride.

The movie starts off in an isolated airport terminal, with a wheelchair bound Bruce Willis telling a bystander a story about a horrific crime that took place years before. The story of the past crime deserves your attention as it will set up the rest of the movie and the events that unfold.

There are a lot of elements that make this movie a joy to watch.

First off, the acting talent. Hartnett didn't play his typical teenage heartthrob role, Freeman played a cold-blooded gangster opposite of Kingsley's conflicted Rabbi gangster, Willis did his thing and blew stuff up and Tucci played a hard-boiled detective with a shady past. And then there's Lucy Liu.

Secondly, the direction. Paul McGuigan used his trademark style and perfectly blended action with suspense, mystery and the right amount of wit. Anyone who isn't familiar with his work should take a few days and binge watch BBC's Sherlock as he has been the one to helm a majority of the episodes.

Lastly, the writing. Jason Smilovic, who has done only television before and after this film, really knew what he wanted to accomplish with a premise that's been played out. He successfully wrote a complex tale that includes the the twists and turns one would expect in a movie about mistaken identity. He was also able to pull off writing an ending that comes full circle without confusing the audience.

In summation, Lucky Number Slevin teaches an old dog new tricks. The acting style of Hartnett is greatly complimented by two Oscar winners (Freeman, Kinsgley). Stylish action scenes don't seem over the top and aren't used as a filler (cough Michael Bay cough) and lastly the ending, while dark, will surprise and please the audience.

IMDb gave Lucky Number Slevin a 7.8 out of 10. I'll agree with their score but why not just give it an 8? While it may have won the praise of critics, it was given a limited release that didn't allow the film to be properly recognized.

If you haven't seen this movie before I highly recommend you do, it's a blast. This movie is definitely worth your time.