Excellent Mystery Noir!

Rating: 9/10 (8 February 2012)

Lucky Number Slevin is a fantastic mystery thriller starring Josh Hartnett who plays the unfortunate Slevin Kelevra, an enigmatic smug yet lovable protagonist, who gets mixed into a colossal misunderstanding of identity placing him in debt with to rival gang lords for a combined $129,000 or an alternative of 1 gang land murder and $33,000. This leads Slevin on a brutal journey laced with dark wit from one plot twist to the next. Cinematographer Peter Sova really captured the essence of the 1950's mystery noir with the use of granulated filters during flashback sequences as an almost homage to past films. To add to this effect Screenwriter Jason Smilovic peppers in some clever back and forth between characters that keep the audience intrigued as they unveil plot twist after another which is actually addressed to as a "Kansas city shuffle." The film has a powerhouse cast (Josh Hartnett, Lucy Lu, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Sir Ben Kingsley and even Stanley Tucci) that really bring this project together. Also pay attention for Director's Paul McGuigan use of juxtapositions throughout the film. This was truly a triumph for all those involved!