Snatch meets the Usual Suspects - and what a great result!

Rating: 8/10 (7 May 2006)

Don't be thrown off by the terrible title and tagline - Lucky Number Slevin is much less gratuitous action movie and much more of a clever thinking than it wants to let on. The latest installment in the "Usual Suspects syndrome" of thrillers, Slevin subscribes to the "plot twist every thirty seconds" theory in order to keep its audience guessing. As such, we spend most of the film continually left in the dark, but rest assured that it (mostly)all comes together and makes sense in the end.
The script, penned by screenwriter Jason Smilovic, makes it very clear that it is trying hard to be incessantly clever - and it actually succeeds for the most part, blending a dark humour (having warring mob bosses have their headquarters across the street from one another) with the suspense, action and continual audience confusion, as Slevin has to make his way out of more and more perplexing situations and constant cases of mistaken identity. Director Paul McGuigan indeed seems to have taken quite a bit of influence from such films as Guy Ritchie's Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, early Tarantino movies and of course, Brian Singer's classic thriller The Usual Suspects, but it comes together as a savory, well made and very clever film.
The wonderful cast are what take the given material, and take it from very good to excellent. Josh Hartnett gives a satisfying performance in the lead as the constantly hassled Slevin. But it's the supporting cast which really bring the film to life, with wonderful and often hilarious performances. Bruce Willis is a strong and mysterious presence as infamous assassin Goodkat, and although it may seem that each of his appearances seems to make less sense than the last time his purpose finally is revealed. Lucy Liu is adorable, bubbly and very funny, finally a love interest who actually captures our interests and never comes across as clichéd or pointless. Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley supply class aplenty to the film, and of course both give excellent performances as would be expected. Stanley Tucci is also a wonderful addition to the film as determined detective Brikowski.
Overall, Slevin is actually one of the most interesting and entertaining films of this year so far - suspenseful, cryptic, often very funny, and oh so clever. Be warned that director Paul McGuigan certainly doesn't skimp on the blood and violence, especially right at the film's opening, as if to catch our attention with a bang. But the script and concept are very intelligently done, even if they do occasionally stumble on drawing the line between clever and just plain confusing. Despite this, Slevin is a wonderful and very entertaining movie, one definitely worth seeing!
-8/10