Lucky Number Slevin! Now we’re talking about a film that’s as slick as a used car salesman and as clever as my Aunt Mildred after three cups of coffee. Released in 2006, this gem combines crime, comedy, and a plot twist that’ll leave you scratching your head and wondering if you accidentally mixed up your prescriptions. Buckle up, folks; this ride is about to get bumpy!
Review by Ben Dover:
Lucky Number Slevin (2006) – 4.5 Convoluted Coincidences
The Plot
The story kicks off with our hapless protagonist, Slevin Kelevra, played by the charming Josh Hartnett. He finds himself in a case of mistaken identity, which is kind of like showing up to a wedding in a clown suit—awkward and potentially fatal. Without giving too much away, Slevin gets tangled up in a feud between two mob bosses, The Rabbi and The Boss, who are about as friendly as a rattlesnake at a petting zoo. We’ve got mistaken identity, warring crime lords, assassins, and enough flashbacks to give you whiplash. It’s like someone took “The Usual Suspects,” “Pulp Fiction,” and a Rubik’s Cube, threw them in a blender, and hit puree and somehow it comes out like a 4 star restaurant dish.
Key Points:
- Mistaken Identity: Because who doesn’t love a little mix-up to spice things up?
- Mob Feud: Two bosses with more grudges than a high school reunion.
- Cleverness: The plot twists are thicker than my Aunt Edna’s lasagna, and just as satisfying.
The Characters
The cast is a delightful smorgasbord of talent. Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley play the mob bosses, and let me tell you, their performances are more polished than my grandpa’s old Buick. They bring an air of gravitas, which is a nice contrast to Hartnett’s bewildered charm. And let’s not forget Lucy Liu, who adds a touch of sass that makes the film even more enjoyable. It’s like watching a well-oiled machine where every part does its job perfectly—or a dysfunctional family reunion, depending on how you look at it. Then there is Slevin, played by Josh Hartnett who spends half the movie wandering around in a towel, looking about as confused as I do trying to program my VCR. The final piece of the character puzzle is Bruce Willis as Mr. Goodcat, because I guess all the good assassin names are taken. He skulks around the edges of the movie like a cat waiting to pounce, delivering his lines in that patented Bruce Willis whisper-growl.
Character Highlights:
- Slevin: The poor guy can’t catch a break; he’s like a piñata at a children’s party.
- The Boss and The Rabbi: A duo more dangerous than a squirrel on caffeine.
- Lindsey: Lucy Liu’s character, who’s sharper than a tack and twice as fun.
Special Effects
Now, let’s not kid ourselves; this isn’t a CGI explosion fest. The beauty of Lucky Number Slevin lies in its dialogue and storytelling rather than flashy effects. The cinematography is slick, capturing the essence of the gritty underworld without drowning us in unnecessary violence. It’s a refreshing change of pace in a world where explosions are the norm.
Special Effects Summary:
- Practical Effects: Minimal, but effective—like a well-placed punchline.
- Cinematography: Smooth and stylish, making even the seediest alleyways look appealing.
- Overall Impact: You’ll be too busy following the plot to notice the lack of flashy gimmicks.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Lucky Number Slevin is a delightful mix of wit, intrigue, and unexpected twists that’ll keep you guessing until the very end.
The dialogue is snappier than a crocodile with anger management issues. Everyone’s got a witty one-liner or a long-winded monologue, speaking in a way that no human being outside of a Tarantino film ever would. It’s exhausting, but in a perversely entertaining way.
It’s a film that’s as intelligent as it is entertaining, proving that sometimes, you can have your cake and eat it too—without the calories. Is “Lucky Number Slevin” too clever for its own good? Probably. Does it tie itself in knots trying to outsmart the audience? You bet your ass it does. But you know what? It’s also more fun than it has any right to be. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a magic trick – sure, it’s all smoke and mirrors, but when it works, it’s a hell of a show.
Final Rating:
- Out of 5: I’d happily dish out a 4.5—a must-see for anyone who loves a good story with a side of humor.
So, grab your popcorn and settle in for this delightful ride. Just maybe take some aspirin first. And don’t blame me if you need to watch it twice to figure out what the hell just happened. I did. Just remember, folks, the third time someone calls you a horse, its time to start shopping for saddles.
Notes:
Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
Gross worldwide: $56,308,881
Budget: $ 27,000,000 (estimated)
According to the DVD commentary with Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu, Lindsey’s reaction when she walks in on Slevin with his towel open is real. (at around 23 mins) The scene was scripted, but Josh Hartnett actually flashed Lucy Liu without telling her prior to filming.
An alternate scene was filmed, in which Slevin killed Lindsey, but it was considered too dark.
All the parts of the story that Slevin is “making up” are filmed in black and white. The phone call to Nick, the girlfriend, and the mugging.
Review Notes: (spoilers)
Kansas City Shuffle: A “Kansas City Shuffle” is an advanced form of a bait-and-switch confidence game employing misdirection, subterfuge, and playing on the “mark’s” arrogance and/or self-loathing. It is also the title of a 1926 jazz song named after the scheme
The acting in this is very good, Bruce Willis IS the character.
Lucy Liu talks way too fast.
What the hell is with all the damn peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Interesting choices by Kingsley and Freeman in tier death scene. Kingsley just seems accepting and sits there and suffocates, while Freeman is struggling the whole time.
Quotes:
Mr. Goodkat: Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest in Monte Carlo and came in third; that’s a story.
Slevin: Listen, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately…
The Rabbi: [interrupting] My father used to say: “The first time someone calls you a horse you punch him on the nose, the second time someone calls you a horse you call him a jerk but the third time someone calls you a horse, well then perhaps it’s time to go shopping for a saddle.”
The Boss: I bet it was that mouth that got you that nose.
Slevin: How did you find out about us?
Mr. Goodkat: I’m a world-class assassin, fuckhead. How do you think I found out?
Critics Consensus:
Critics 52% Audience 87% Rotten Tomatoes
Trying too hard to be clever in a Pulp Fiction kind of way, this film succumbs to a convoluted plot, overly stylized characters, and dizzying set design.
Trailer:
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Synopsis: Do not read this if you don’t want to be spoiled, this is the breakdown of the whole movie.
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Two bookies are separately ambushed and murdered by their unseen killers; elsewhere, a young man is killed by a sniper. In a bus terminal, a young man is approached by Goodkat (Bruce Willis), who tells the story of Max and the Kansas City Shuffle: two decades earlier, Max (Scott Gibson) borrowed money from the mob to bet on a fixed horse race (The mob bookie knew what Max was betting on and offered him 2:1 odds, while the window offered him 9:1.. So, Max didn’t know that he was betting against the mob itself), only for the horse to die mid-race (The race was fixed by the mob and the news leaked out, which led to Max betting on the mob’s work). To set an example to make sure nobody else would try to bet on a fixed race, the mob killed Max, as well as his wife and young son Henry. Goodkat describes the “Kansas City Shuffle”, a misleading double bluff, then tricks and kills the young man, taking the body in a truck.
In New York City, Slevin Kelevra (Josh Hartnett) is staying in his friend Nick Fisher’s (Sam Jaeger) apartment (Slevin claims that Nick was supposed to meet him at the apartment when he arrived in NYC, but Nick never showed up and his apartment door was open) and, upon being visited by Nick’s neighbor Lindsey (Lucy Liu), discusses Nick’s disappearance and why his apartment was unlocked. Lindsey suggests that Nick may be missing and, after she leaves, Slevin is kidnapped by two henchmen (Elvis (Dorian Missick) & Sloe (Mykelti Williamson)) (Slevin can’t prove that he is not Nick, since he was mugged at the airport and has no ID), who take him to “The Boss” (Morgan Freeman). Mistaking Slevin for Nick, The Boss orders him to repay a large gambling debt ($96K) (Nick borrowed the money from The Boss’s bookie, who is now dead) or kill the son of his rival, “The Rabbi” (Ben Kingsley); The Boss believes The Rabbi is responsible for assassinating his son (seen in the intro), and wants The Rabbi’s homosexual son, Yitzchok “The Fairy” (Michael Rubenfeld), to be killed in revenge. Slevin returns to the apartment, but is kidnapped again, this time by two of The Rabbi’s Jewish henchmen (Saul (Corey Stoll)). Like The Boss, The Rabbi also mistakes Slevin for Nick, and also demands he repay a large gambling debt ($33K).
Slevin tells The Boss he will kill The Fairy. Concurrently with Slevin visiting the mob bosses, it becomes apparent Goodkat is somehow involved in both sides and is responsible for Nick’s debts being called in, and that he plans to kill Slevin after The Fairy dies and make it look like they both committed suicide.
Lindsey works at a mortuary and tells Slevin about the body of a bookie brought in, who worked for the Rabbi (plus his 2 bodyguards). She theorizes that Nick killed them and vanished, and now Slevin is left holding the bag.
Slevin and Lindsey go out to dinner, where Slevin arranges a date with The Fairy (who is supposed to be gay) (The Fairy was at the same restaurant and Slevin walked over to him). Slevin is approached by Detective Brikowski (Stanley Tucci), who is investigating The Boss and The Rabbi. Brikowski, who used to bet big with one of the murdered bookies, has also been informed that Goodkat is back in town for the first time in twenty years and think there’s a connection between The Boss, The Rabbi, Goodkat, and Slevin. The detective hassles him again later and Slevin reveals his full name.
Slevin arrives for his date at The Fairy’s apartment and fatally shoots him, only for Goodkat to appear. Rather than shoot Slevin, however, Goodkat finishes The Fairy, revealing Slevin and Goodkat are working together. Slevin then brings the bus terminal victim’s body, revealed to be Nick Fisher, into the apartment while Goodkat kills The Fairy’s bodyguards. Together, they blow up the apartment and the bodies, faking Slevin’s death in the process. Goodkat and Slevin kidnap The Boss and The Rabbi, with both awakening restrained in The Boss’s penthouse. The Rabbi tells the Boss that he saw no hand in killing the Boss’s son, and looks like they were both set up by Goodkat. Slevin appears and explains the overarching twist: Slevin is Henry, the son of the ill-fated Max, and the mobsters who killed Max were The Boss and The Rabbi. Goodkat is revealed as the assassin hired to kill young Henry, who after an attack of conscience took him in and raised him instead.
Twenty years later Slevin reveals that he and Goodkat killed the mobsters’ bookies and stole the ledgers in the process (Slevin and Goodkat killed the bookies to figure out one name (from their books) who had borrowed money from both Rabbi and Boss, and that was Nick Fisher. Nick Fisher was the guy whom Goodkat killed at the bus terminal.). After identifying Nick as owing a great deal of money to both sides, they killed him and stole his identity.
Then Slevin murdered The Boss’s son in order to get The Boss to contract Goodkat to murder The Rabbi’s son in revenge. Goodkat took the contract to kill The Fairy from The Boss and convinced The Rabbi he’d protect The Fairy on the condition they both call in Nick’s debts, granting Slevin and Goodkat unhindered access to the heavily guarded mobsters as their ally, under his Nick Fisher alias. After revealing his identity, Slevin suffocates The Rabbi and The Boss by taping plastic bags over their heads, killing them the same way they killed his father. Since Lindsey earlier photographed Goodkat while investigating Nick’s disappearance, Goodkat shoots her to protect his identity.
While Brikowski is hunting for Slevin he gets a phone call from his boss and learns the meaning of the pseudonym Slevin Kelevra: “Lucky Number Slevin” was the horse his father had bet on, and “Kelevra” is Hebrew for bad dog, mirroring Goodkat’s name. It is revealed that Brikowski murdered Slevin’s mother to pay his own gambling debts twenty years ago. As he hears this story Brikowski resigns himself to his fate as Slevin, showing rage for the first time, appears in Brikowski’s backseat and shoots him finishing his masterpiece of revenge.
Sometime later at the bus terminal Slevin is met by Lindsey, and it is revealed that Goodkat’s informed Slevin he had to murder Lindsey because she had a picture of him. It’s also revealed around the same time that Slevin explained his true identity to Lindsey and helped fake her death. When Goodkat appears, aware of the trickery, Slevin explains he had to save Lindsey and did not think Goodkat would understand. Since Goodkat had saved Slevin as a boy he states that he understands and agrees to leave Lindsey alone. Goodkat gives Slevin back his father’s old watch and then disappears into the crowd. The movie flashes back twenty years to when Goodkat first spared young Henry, they drive away and Goodkat turns on the radio to a song titled “Kansas City Shuffle”.
