Lucky Number Slevin is like a great tribute band -- lots of talent, but zero points for originality.
Director Paul McGuigan (Wicker Park) has assembled an A-list cast for this slick, fast-paced story of mistaken identity amid the seedy underworld of gambling.
Josh Hartnett (Sin City) is Slevin, an average Joe visiting a friend in New York to escape his own problems. In a series of random events, Slevin is mistaken for his loser friend, who happens to be in debt to the city's two gambling bosses. Slevin is a pawn relentlessly pushed and pulled by the two gangsters, played by Morgan Freeman (Batman Begins) and Ben Kingsley (who will always be Gandhi to me). Wrapped up in all this confusion are the lovely Lucy Liu (Domino) and a stoic Bruce Willis (Sin City).
That brief recap, however, doesn't come close to explaining the plot of this film, which features a new explosive and crazy twist about every eight minutes, which should in theory bewilder the audience.
However, you've seen this movie before. In fact, you've seen about five or six movies just like it before, down to the huge reveal at the end.
It's a good thing I didn't have to try to figure out the mystery, though, because I was too busy passing out on the theater floor from all the violence.
McGuigan desperately wanted his movie to be Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, down to the over-the-top blood spatters and horrific, gruesome deaths, but the result was just empty. When Tarantino does violence, yes, it's queasy, clutch-your-stomach disturbing, but there's something sickeningly poetic and almost beautiful about it, mixed in with his smug "ain't it cool" satisfaction.
The executions in Lucky Number Slevin are just repetitive.
It also doesn't help that McGuigan is so in love with the cinematography that he replays certain key scenes to the point of annoyance. One particular killing, involving a fastball to the eye (go ahead, picture that lovely scene) was replayed at least five times, for no effective purpose.
As bad as the action sequences are, the acting is fabulous. Hartnett really proves himself here, which is impressive considering how easily his co-star powerhouses could snatch a scene from him. He has some pretty cheesy dialogue to deliver at times, but manages to salvage it for comic effect.
Freeman has never been better, and pitting him against Kingsley was a stroke of genius. According to the over-done exposition, the two gangsters used to be partners until a betrayal two decades ago. Now, both men reside in high-rises directly facing each other, guarded by their respective posses and literally keeping watch on one another. In the one great burst of cinematography, a tight shot on Freeman expands to encompass both men's fortresses, then zooms in for a tight shot on Kingsley. It's hilarious.
Not to be forgotten is Lucy Liu. Her character doesn't kick anyone's ass, and she doesn't use her trademark sexy, haughty stare once. Instead, she's sweet and cute as Hartnett's love interest who tries to help him unravel the tangled web he's caught in.
As fun as that is to watch, I can say with certainty that this movie screws up the ending. The last half-hour is just inexcusable.
I was feeling pretty intelligent about figuring out all the twists, but then I was offended as the film took way too much time making sure I "got" it. Every scene is revisited, all the characters are compelled to explain every choice they made, and it comes across as condescending.
McGuigan made a few too many bad bets on this one.
Grade: B-
