Lucky Number Slevin Movie Review

Lucky Number Slevin (2006)

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Written by: Jason Smilovic
Directed by: Paul McGuigan
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman, Lucy Liu, Bruce Willis, Stanley Tucci, Mykelti Williamson, Danny Aiello, Corey Stoll, Robert Forster
Rated: R
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Plot
A case of mistaken identity lands Slevin into the middle of a war between two of the city's rival crime bosses. Under constant surveillance by Detective Brikowski and assassin Goodkat, he must get them before they get him.

Verdict
This movie is a lot of fun. It plays cool and stylish, but it's not difficult to suspend your disbelief. Slevin's situation keeps getting worse, but what makes this movie is how he gets out of it. This movie is masterful at putting all the pieces together. Every scene matters whether we realize it at the time or not.
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Review
This is one of those movies that I saw long ago and remembered liking, but couldn't remember much past that. 

This throws a lot at you from the start, from murder and theft to an airport conversation and horse racing that looks like it's from the '60s or '70s based on the cars but we're told later it's the 80s. These scenes will matter later, but the movie finally starts with Slevin (Josh Harnett) being mistaken for someone that owes local gangsters a lot of money.

Josh Harnett plays Slevin Kelevra.

This is a movie that can be a lot of fun to watch again as you'll pick up on a few clues when you already know what happens. This is just a fun movie, though the characters play it awfully cool. The whole movie is going for cool with the dialog and the plot points.

Slevin is wrapped up in a scheme to pay off his debt between two gangsters, The Boss (Morgan Freeman) and The Rabbi (Ben Kingsley). The longer this plays, the more we see how everything is connected. That's the big reason this movie is so fun, by the end it's put all the pieces together. It's solid writing, and it makes for a strong ending.

Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley play The Boss  and The Rabbi.

I really like the casting, everyone seems perfect for their roles. This is a slick movie that packs a few punches. The way it puts all the pieces together is really impressive, and that explains why the opening is so disjointed. Everything is leading to the conclusion. This could have been more subtle as it makes sure to explain exactly what happened, but it's a satisfying conclusion.