High octane action, sleek script, but not quite Tarantino

Rating: 6/10 (28 November 2006)

There's really nothing much to complain about when it comes to this film. It's absolutely, unfailingly entertaining and rewarding by the minute. With great action scenes, high tension, an intricate and clever plot, great dialogue and a superb all-star cast that includes Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman and Stanley Tucci, Lucky Number Slevin is a true pleasure, and for fans of directors Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie, it's practically too good to miss.
Therein lies the film's problem  it tries a bit too hard to imitate Tarantino and to a lesser extent Ritchie as well, and in the process it loses something of its own voice. It seems that McGuigan actively tried to create a cult film, and to a certain extent he gets the job done; Lucky Number Slevin has some very memorable characters and some highly quotable lines of dialogue. In the end, though, it's just not quite memorable enough to carry that weight. It's a very impressive directorial debut, no doubt, but it has neither the soul of Reservoir Dogs nor the energy of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. In trying too hard to be cool and sleek McGuigan forgot that he has a voice of his own, and the film lacks a bit in soul and feel.
Still, it's lots of fun, and certainly stands on par with a lesser Tarantino work  True Romance (Tarantino's script) immediately comes to mind. Lucky Number Slevin doesn't have the spark, the inventiveness and the cultural awareness that make Tarantino great and unique, but it never gets dull, and never loses its perfect pace. The storyline may be far-fetched but it works, and the twist ending is both surprising and satisfying; and killer performances from three key figures  Willis, Freeman and Kingsley  make the fast, tongue-in-cheek, witty dialogue an extreme pleasure. Lucky Number Slevin is not to be taken all too seriously  it's basically a crime thriller, to be taken more or less at face value, and despite the constant Tarantino comparisons it has nothing of the cultural and artistic statement of Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill. For fans of the genre though, and for anyone looking for an evening of pure entertainment, you can't miss with this one.