Probably one of Hartnetts best films, alongside a brilliant cast of actors.

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2008)

Lucky Number Slevin is directed by newish director Paul McGuigan. This is his third film since Wicker Park and The Acid House, alongside some programs he worked on for television, this movie boasts to be one of his best yet. Paul alongside a quite large list of top class actors/actresses, manage to create this absolute gem of a film, with a magnificent plot and twist to keep the viewer entertained until the movie has finished.
The first half of the film is quite humorous; mostly every character is introduced, and the scene has been set, Slevin (Hartnett) has been thrown into a case of mistaken identity. Slevin is visited by two rival gangs, one led by The Boss (Freeman) the other by the Rabbi (Kingsley), and assuming Slevin is someone called Nick Fisher. Nick Fisher is a regular gambler who has a lot of money in the minus column; therefore Slevin is blamed for this. There is a story set also for the two gangs, they both live across the street from one another, both The Boss and The Rabbi are prisoner to their own home, fearing what one man will do to the other. The Bosses son is assassinated, so the finger is clearly pointed at The Rabbi.
When Slevin comes to meet the boss, Slevin owes The Boss, $96,000 and of course Slevin would have trouble coming up with the money so The Boss sets down a proposition, for Slevin to assassinate The Rabbi's son "Yitzchok the Fairy", as a retaliation. After this meeting Slevin is collected once again but this time by the Rabbi's men, and then being told he owes The Rabbi a significant amount of money. Slevin now has a choice, if he doesn't kill the Rabbi's son then either way The Boss or The Rabbi will get to him first so he decides he will say yes to The Bosses offer. As somewhat unreal the story set in the first half seems, all of Slevin's choices lead up to the fantastic climax of the movie.
The whole movie is made with a sense of style, dark humour and wit and a feeling that you are in touch with the actors playing the roles. It's how the characters interact, especially the chemistry between Hartnett and Liu, the love story behind it all is heart warming and pleasant, it isn't soppy it's more... friendly. Goodkat (Willis) plays a vital role on the sideline, apart from him being a world class assassin his part in the movie isn't truly revealed until the plot twist is.
Everything in this movie works, though it may well borrow certain aspects from other movies. People sometimes call the twist the "Usual Suspects Effect", for it having a similar plot twist, though don't be fooled, it's not an easy thing to figure out unless you happen to be extremely observant. It's the little things that count in this movie, the love for the characters, the sudden change between a humorous first half into a dark and gritty second half, I can almost guarantee you will be entertained. Josh Hartnett fits the role of Slevin better than anyone of the other young talent around in Hollywood, Affleck or Damon would have probably ruined the role since Hartnett has that cockiness about him, along with the right sense of charm that makes Slevin who he is. Lucy Liu, who plays Lindsey, plays a clever and funny "Girl Next Door" character, which is almost in a way like a female version of Slevin.
The film boasts an amazing soundtrack, which after listening to it for a few hours is very impressive. They soundtrack really shows the mood of the film, the first half of the album being very much more upbeat and slightly jazzy, the second half being much more minor, using more strings and with a slightly more inspirational sound.
Conclusion  McGuigan is sure to be one of the next big people in movie making, everything about the film just works, as well as the big talent that's on screen at one time. In my own personal opinion its one of my most favourite films of all time, though of course this movie isn't to everyone's tastes purely due to the familiarity it has to other films, but there is something unique about Lucky Number Slevin, something that stands out above the movies today, a real gem of a film. It has to be viewed to be believed, and is definitely a movie you have to see "Before You Die".
-Fin