really enjoyable

Rating: 9/10 (24 February 2006)

Lucky Number Slevin sees Josh Hartnett play Slevin in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity in a movie that easily skips between wry one liners and bloody violence that keeps you thinking until it's well-done conclusion.
First off, the film looks great. It looks noir, complete with clever camera angles and smooth transitions, creating some very stylish cinematography and some brilliant scenes. The chess scene, which sees Slevin take on The Boss (Freeman), pretty much sums this up, using smart camera angles and stylish transitions while drawing the audience in and further complicating the story. The violence is well done, and the contrast it creates reminiscent of last year's Sin City (2005). The soundtrack also effectively contributes to the style, as it doesn't take over and you don't really notice it's there, but gets the job done.
A film is however nothing without its cast, and Lucky Number Slevin is blessed with an amazing collection of actors and actresses. Hartnett pulls out a brilliant, if somewhat surprising performance, playing the wise-guy who cant keep his mouth shut who draws us in, before switching to the ruthless anti-hero who kills his way to the top at the film's conclusion. Morgan Freeman, The Boss, and Sir Ben Kingsley, The Rabbi, take to their roles perfectly, Freeman playing it with just the right amount of intelligence and cruelty, while Kingsley's role is more calculated and comic. Lucy Lui also does well as the girl-next-door/coroner, and her character moves the film along quickly with a touch of the film's more obvious humour. Bruce Willis' performance is probably the best out of the supporting cast. There doesn't seem to be much to it, but he dominates most of the scenes he's in (except that one where he's got a mullet) thanks to his understated cold-blooded killer acting mode.
The plot keeps a hold of you throughout too, and prevents its audience getting lost as the conclusion explains it all for you, cleverly shifting from scene to scene as the pieces of the puzzle come together.
There isn't really much more I can say. It looks great, the performances are great, the story is good, it's a bit violent, and it's still funny. I really enojyed it.