An unexpected gem of a film

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2009)

When I watched this film I knew almost nothing about it, I just had a vague idea that it was some sort of gangster movie, I think this lack of prior knowledge help me appreciate the film even more.
The film opens rather intriguingly with Bruce Willis telling another man a story about how a man and his family were murdered twenty years before after he ended up owing a lot of money to the wrong people after the horse he bet on in a fixed race failed to win. Once he has finished the story he kills the man he told it to. The action then moves to Josh Hartnett who is playing the strangely named Slevin Kelevra. He isn't having a good time; he has lost his job, his house has been condemned, he has caught his girl friend with another man and when he goes to stay with his friend Nick Fisher he loses his wallet in a mugging. Nick isn't in when he gets there and before he has had chance to get dressed after a shower he is accosted by two thugs who think he is Nick, they take him to see The Boss (Morgan Freeman) who says he has three days to pay him back $96,000 or kill the son of his rival: The Rabbi (Sir Ben Kingsley). No sooner is he back at Nick's flat than another two thugs arrive and drag him off to see The Rabbi who tells him he owes him $30,000.
Even though I ticked the spoiler box I won't say more about what happens as the various twists and turns need to be watched to fully appreciate the film, knowing them in advance would take the edge off it. The actors all do a good job, although there are a lot of big name actors in the secondary roles they just get on with playing their parts rather than trying to upstage each other. As well as the actors I mentioned in the summary Lucy Liu stars as Nick's neighbour Lindsey who befriends Sleven.
This film was much better than I'd expected, whether it will be as exciting on second viewing when I know the twists I'm not sure. I suspect it will hold up well though.