Fatally flawed

Rating: 5/10 (1 December 2008)

This is one of those "screenwriter" movies: It is written from a formula of introducing characters and situations which will be doubled back on in the last reel revealing the twist. It's all about plot, colorful characters (as opposed to characterization) and something violent/or plot driven happening once or twice in each reel. Mood and subtlety it is not about.
Lucky Number Slevin is OK by the above standards. It has too many clichés from Pulp Fiction (main characters discussing movie-references as defining character traits, etc) but it keeps interest as passable entertainment. However, it falls apart when it is revealed to be a revenge drama and the Macguffin of Nick Fisher is shown to be a real person that Slevin's partner (Willis) knocks off because Slevin needs his identity. Apparently Fischer is a gambling loser that no one would miss. But the revenge is based on Slevin's own father being a gambling loser who gets killed by those who believe no one will miss him. Bad irony, huh?
So, we watch a revenge movie that goes to pains to reveal that everyone killed deserved it (except I didn't buy that the Rabbi's gay kid deserved it, but I digress) -- except it never establishes the plot-driver Nick Fisher deserved it. Why not just have him kidnapped? Or have him be a phantom? Killing him makes this a movie full of people who don't deserve revenge. For a movie that cries out look at my screenplay! it should have noticed that some of this doesn't make any sense in a revenge drama. Unless it wasn't meant as a pure revenge drama. But then, what is it?