August 18, 2006
All that glisters is not gold. With a top-notch cast and a tricksy style, Lucky Number Slevin certainly glisters. But weighed for what it is, it certainly isn’t gold. Young Slevin (Josh Harnett) is having a bad day. Turning up at his mate’s apartment, he’s mistaken for his friend when gangsters come calling, wanting the bucks owed to crime king, The Boss (Morgan Freeman). Worse, his mate also owes dosh to the Boss’s rival, The Rabbi (Sir Ben Kingsley). Caught between the two and avoiding the snakelike assassin Goodkat (Bruce Willis), Slevin must stay alive and keep new-found girlfriend Lucy Liu out of harm’s way.
Russian names abound and director Paul McGuigan (working with Harnett again after Wicker Park) sets the action in a heavy-hued cityscape where lurid timewarp décor and Ruski rhythms complement the quirky-jokey feel. As much black comedy as twisty thriller, Slevin has a kookie, uneasy edge – part intentional and part, you suspect, not. Slickly-shot visuals and smooth camerawork add a treacly sheen. The starry names act up well, below pantomime but with a tinge of the comic-book. Harnett is great, cruising on charm and flashes of talent. And with his stoney-face and mouth-lines, Bruce Willis has the distinct air of Droopy with handguns - adding to the tongue-in-cheek tone.
The slithery plot wends its way colourfully toward the ‘surprise’ ending. But while the reveal makes sense, it’s a tad underwhelming. More whimper than bang, the pleasure of Slevin is its sheeny gloss. It packs a few violent punches (though fewer than you’d expect for an 18 cert) and has a breezily lippy script. But in the end, this is Harnett’s film, with Willis, Freeman, Kingsley and an underused Stanley Tucci adding a gilt-edge to an otherwise coppery caper.
Russian names abound and director Paul McGuigan (working with Harnett again after Wicker Park) sets the action in a heavy-hued cityscape where lurid timewarp décor and Ruski rhythms complement the quirky-jokey feel. As much black comedy as twisty thriller, Slevin has a kookie, uneasy edge – part intentional and part, you suspect, not. Slickly-shot visuals and smooth camerawork add a treacly sheen. The starry names act up well, below pantomime but with a tinge of the comic-book. Harnett is great, cruising on charm and flashes of talent. And with his stoney-face and mouth-lines, Bruce Willis has the distinct air of Droopy with handguns - adding to the tongue-in-cheek tone.
The slithery plot wends its way colourfully toward the ‘surprise’ ending. But while the reveal makes sense, it’s a tad underwhelming. More whimper than bang, the pleasure of Slevin is its sheeny gloss. It packs a few violent punches (though fewer than you’d expect for an 18 cert) and has a breezily lippy script. But in the end, this is Harnett’s film, with Willis, Freeman, Kingsley and an underused Stanley Tucci adding a gilt-edge to an otherwise coppery caper.