IMDb user comments for
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)

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104 out of 164 people found the following comment useful :-
Absolutely Amazing Film, 3 March 2006

Author: sweethoneyhan from Leicester

I really felt i needed to write this comment, because the one just before made me so angry. If the prior user had paid a little more attention to this film he would have noticed how intricate and brilliant the plot was. I don't want to give anything away of this film, but i strongly recommend this film to anyone. I would agree that you spend the first 20 minutes in confusion because of its fast paced plot, but by the end, your sympathies for individual characters are all over the place. ALl i can say is go and see it, and give it your full attention, then you wouldn't be on this website, saying "it doesn't make sense". Enjoy the film, 10/10

87 out of 143 people found the following comment useful :-
keeps you guessing, 12 February 2006

Author: bigstuff2020 from United States

If you like movies that make you think you will enjoy this film. Josh Hartnett stars as "Slevin" a guy who is down on his luck and gets mistaken for someone else, or does he...from the moment that the mob bosses get a hold of Slevin the movie turns into one big guessing game. If you are like me you will find yourself thinking and trying to figure out what exactly is going on, but you probably will never understand until all is explained in the brilliant climax ending of the film. I honestly can say that when you walk out of the theater you can say to whomever it is that you went to see this movie with that it was truly a great movie. Now I was lucky enough to have seen this at a screening back in December, and the entire theater started to applaud at the conclusion of the film. If you like mysteries definitely check this one out...and just by the slim chance that the reviews are mixed or not that great I will at least tell you from an avid movie lover to give this a chance and you will not regret it

81 out of 139 people found the following comment useful :-
Wow! Great Noir Caper Flick, 22 January 2006

Author: wmjaho from Park City

2006 Sundance Film Festival From the opening scene in Lucky Number Slevin, you will be straining to keep up. People are getting killed left and right, and it's never clear until the end of the movie how they are all connected. But you know it fits somehow and Scottish director Paul McGuigan (Wicker Park) manages to keep you guessing while firmly grabbing your attention and holding it with hardly a second to take a breath.

In the film noir tradition, but with the intense and graphic violence of the Lock Stock and Layer Cake genre, Slevin is really a caper movie, and frankly reminded me more of The Sting than anything else. It dances nimbly from grisly stomach-churning action to clever and light-hearted banter. This could only be accomplished by a truly incredible cast, led by Josh Hartnett in an outstanding performance, great work by Lucy Liu, Bruce Willis doing his thing, and supported by the always excellent Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley. There's even a little time for Stanley Tucci.

Liu plays Lindsay, the next-door-neighbor/natural sleuth/coroner/love interest who discovers Slevin in her neighbor Nick's apartment. They mystery that immediately engages her is what happened to Nick, who never shows up. However, plenty of people do show up, mistaking Slevin for Nick, and before long he is neck deep in murder contracts, called debts and warring gang factions. Hartnett plays the role to perfection. I've never seen him this good. He is both convincing and empathetic as a glib, fearless victim of mistaken identity, yet filled with confidence that he can make his plan work.

This is a terrific film, assuming you can stomach the bloody violence. The pieces fit neatly together (well, I have one bone to pick with the scriptwriter, but it would be revealing too much to share it). I highly recommend Lucky Number Slevin.

54 out of 96 people found the following comment useful :-
A welcome surprise, Slevin has appeared as if from nowhere., 2 March 2006

Author: matt_cub from United Kingdom

Bruce Willis, Sir Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci and Josh Hartnett fill a cast line up every bit as impressive as say, Sin City. Leaving behind the sour taste of Wicker Park, Scottish McGuigan follows the likes of his own Gangster Number 1 with this incredibly cool, at times funny thriller that has somehow sneaked into the cinemas without much of a fuss. Supporting cast includes a very welcome cameo from a Jackie Brown star and a bunch of UK actors imitating their US counterpart's accents to perfection. The pairing of Sir Ben and Freeman alone is worth the price of admission, but this is Hartnett(as Slevin)'s film and perhaps it should not be too surprising that he carries it off effectively. In fact, none of the cast really put a foot wrong and even Lucy Liu is pretty adorable (against type too if you believe the all the press).

Despite a reasonably confusing series of opening events, Slevin is essentially a straight forward, neat black comedy of errors (mistaken identity for one) with a fairly silly title (wonder how many reviews are going to give this Slevin out of 10?). The dialogue is at times razor sharp and the action is well shot. The body count climbs steadily as the movie progresses at a cracking pace that never becomes dull. Slevin is thematically similar to a few other choice stories, but like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Slevin should be enjoyed more for the ride and the audience should try not to guess ahead of the plot and let it unfold naturally. There will still be some surprises appearing even for the most avid film fans but like so many thrillers Slevin could be ruined from word of mouth. If it weren't for the warm, familiar feel of similar films, this little gem would be rated higher. Unfairly dismissed by some as confusing, wrongly compared to the legendary Usual Suspects - it's a league apart from the mess that was Revolver and doesn't outstay a welcome.

Oh, and Willis gets to call someone a 'f*** head' again. Great stuff.

14 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Totally unbelievable film, 7 April 2006

Author: rogerdob from Los Angeles

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This film is one of those films that can't work if just ONE of the unbelievable setups doesn't happen. This film tries to entertain you by twists and surprises in the plot. For the first hour one wonders what is going on and how this whole movie will tie together. However, as the ending approaches and the plot is revealed, one cannot help realize how impossible the whole story is. There are so many times where one wonders how did they know that was going to happen that exact way. For example, when josh Harnett explains to Lucy Lui how Bruce Willis will shoot at her and at what part of her body, she's all ready for it---she plans to fake her death with an elaborate death scene. He shoots at her body exactly how they thought he would---how convenient for the progression of the plot!

4 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
An absolutely incredible film., 21 April 2006

Author: matty_tron from United States

When I checked the ratings, I couldn't believe "Lucky Number Slevin" only got a 7.4. This one was of the best movies I've seen in a long long time, and definitely one of the best scripts written in the past five years. With amazing plot twists and enthralling performances by Hartnett, Kingsley, Freeman, Liu, and Willis, I would definitely recommend this well thought out and incredibly put together film to anyone.

The beginning of the film is slightly confusing, but comes together at the end incredibly. I must say, I didn't see the end coming whatsoever. The violence was absolutely perfect- not over dramatic, and every bit of it was necessary with the perfect amount of gore.

Monologues from Kigsley and Freeman spice up the dialog, and Hartnett plays a very good, witty, smart-ass character. I couldn't have picked anyone better for any of the roles. Definitely see this one.

2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Slight, 22 April 2006

Author: (dj_bassett) from Philadelphia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Narrative games are played throughout here, this is one of those movies where nothing is as it first appears to be. The pretext though is that Josh Hartnett is "Slevin", a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time who gets caught between two rival gangland bosses.

Very similar to THE USUAL SUSPECTS, though that was better plotted and a slyer game all around. Hartnett is a vacuous bowl of suck stuck right in the center of this, a good example of how bad casting can hurt a film. I suppose as an amiable doofus he's okay, but once he has to become effective he's pretty laughable.

Structured clunkily, with the big reveal taking up far too much time (as Hartnett has to actually explain to us the plot -- most of which we've figured out, thank you very much). The script bounces around from the well written to the not-so well written: in general it suffers from a kind of self-regard or self-importance that afflicts a lot of Tarantino imitators. (It's interesting that Tarantino's imitators have never understood Tarantino's light touch.) On the other hand, it's mostly very well acted (outside of Hartnett) and that alone lifts a lot of it. Willis is becoming iconic, Freeman and Kingsley get to chew the scenery enjoyably, Lucy Liu is surprisingly winningly girly (a nice break from her Dragon Queen persona). Nicely cast even in small parts, too, with Stanley Tucci and Danny Aiello is small roles.

I wouldn't search it out, but it's the kind of movie that, if it's playing on cable in a hotel room, you won't feel embarrassed about using it to kill some time.

0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Movie of the Year, 22 April 2006

Author: Royer-1 from United States

This movie was RIVETING! Absolutely Amazing! Not one time was I even slightly uninterested in what was happening on that screen. I loved the character development, the settings, the character's themselves were spectacular. This is an additional Great Career Role for Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Sir Ben Kingsley. And another Career Maker for Josh Hartnet and Lucy Lui. If you haven't seen this movie yet, PLEASE GO! It has just enough humor and romance for a great date movie, just enough action adventure for a guys night, enough fun and Josh Hartnet for a ladies night out. It's just a movie made for any and everyone over 17 that would love to appreciate a movie! My movie of the year...hell this is the best movie I have EVER seen, no questions asked.

0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Not the flick for me!, 22 April 2006

Author: from United States

The pickings were slim when we (2 "50ish" women) tried to choose a movie to see this evening, and LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN won by process of elimination. While I can't claim to hate the movie, I found the plot to be convoluted and the guts and gore a bit overdone. Our fellow movie watchers were laughing at many scenes in which the humor somehow escaped me. Dare I say that this movie really wasn't much of a "chic flick"? (Fellow feminists, Mea culpa!) I think my husband will definitely love this one when it comes to cable, which I imagine will happen soon...I read one comment that compared this movie to PULP FICTION, an opinion I definitely don't share. Since the form said I had to write a bit more to submit my opinion, I guess the last thing I am wondering about is what was with Josh Hartnett's hair? Guess I really am getting old!

6 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A surprisingly subtle film with deep philosphic underpinnings, 20 April 2006

Author: ([email protected]) from United States

I've seen a number of extremely positive reviews of this film (as well as very negative ones) on various Web sites. I have yet to find one that has tumbled to the film's central point(s). There's some difficulty discussing these because it might reveal more about the plot than should be done. "Slevin" should be seen knowing little about it in advance.

In many ways "Slevin" is "Sin City" meets "Count of Monte Christo" meets "The Sting". That cryptic (I hope) comment probably already reveals too much. The "Sin City" bit refers mostly (but not entirely) to the level of violence. Many people are killed, most of them bloodily shot. Two die even more grisly deaths that do not involve any bloodletting.

Violence, while a telling detail, is mostly a diversion, a magician's trick to focus attention toward events and away from meaning. "Lucky Number Slevin" begins with simple mistaken identity that grows into very complicated mistaken identity. This again, while a not inconsiderable plot detail, is also not entirely to the point. As the Byzantine plot wends its way to its unexpected conclusion, meaning begins to dawn.

"Slevin" is, to begin with, about revenge � that's obvious early on. But perhaps foremost, "Slevin" is about names � the importance of names, the power of names, the utility of names. In mythic times, names � true names � were imbued with magic power, the power to control the entity so named. This was particularly true of magical entities � it's no accident that Rumpelstiltskin attached so much importance to knowing his name. It's no accident, either, that so many characters in this film have at least 2 names, even if we don't know one of them. And in the end, "Lucky Number Slevin" itself (or "Slevin" alone) turns out to be 3 names. One is, of course, the name of the film. The other 2, however, �.

"Slevin" is also very much about hubris, in the fatal tradition of the Greeks. It's also about pity and love. But perhaps most importantly, it's not only about names but about identity, about the question, "What is true?" (Not, by the way, "What is truth?" � a less relevant question long ago settled by the evolution of the scientific method.) I wouldn't want to imply that this is a Greek tragedy � or even a tragedy at all. Nonetheless, in his final moments on the screen, Ben Kingsley manages to give us a little wordless essay on death.

I can't, alas, get into much of the plot. Part of the tremendous effect this film should have on the perceptive viewer comes from not knowing what's going on here. Suffice it to say that the cast is fully up to the demands of this cinematic masterpiece. The main center of attention, he of the uncertain identity, is Josh Hartnett -- a talented young actor, not yet 30. I thought he did a bang-up job in "Pearl Harbor", and here he confirms my feeling that he's much more than a yummy piece of eye candy (which he also is!). His performance here is full of intensity.

Almost never appearing together on the screen, yet joined at the hip, are (Sir) Ben Kingsley and Morgan Freeman as 2 crime lords � known respectively as "The Rabbi" and "The Boss". We're used to crime bosses doing a lot of yelling and screaming and generally losing control. The tightly controlled performances of Kingsley and Freeman remind us constantly that these are men of great power, used to getting their way and making things happen � and yet raging with hatred toward each other. Theirs is a death-feud 20 years old. A more minor figure is The Rabbi's son Yitzhak (e.g., Isaac), a lesser crime lord. He's played � briefly and with flair � by Michael Rubenfeld. His character is known as "The Fairy". Yes, it's exactly for the reason you think it is.

Lucy Liu plays Hartnett's love interest, Lindsey, with absolute sincerity and only 1 name. I am assured by those who know that she is certainly his equal as eye candy. The last time I can remember seeing her, she was Fry's love-slave robot � actually a whole gaggle of robots � in "Futurama". I can recall thinking that the animators seemed uninterested in doing her justice in the physical appearance area.

Bruce Willis plays "Mr. Goodkat", a professional assassin. He plays the role very, very well, projecting enormous malice from behind a bland exterior. Willis, who is only 51 this year, has recently been looking a lot older. This helped give his character in much inferior "Sin City" an appropriately seedy look. However, now we see him nicely trimmed down, looking 20 years younger. If a face lift was involved, it was a quality job; but regardless, he looks very good, even natty � appropriate to his role as a gentleman murder-for-hire technician.

Two veteran character actors, Peter Outerbridge and Stanley Tucci, play a pair of cops whose only names are Dumbrowski and Brikowski. It's never quite certain what they're doing, but they're always doing it together. One can almost resist the temptation to observe that the pair are as DUMBrowski as a BRIKowski. Almost -- ah, the magic of names.

So much for major characters. Here now is perhaps the best line(s) in the flick (without revealing who says what): A: Someone's trying to kill you. B: Who? A: Me. (BANG)

This is an amazing and subtle film. Watching the carnage unfold, one would hardly expect subtlety in a film so overtly and assertively violent. These things are a sort of smoke screen for the film's more cerebral side. In many respects, the most important (but less hidden) aspect is the consummate cleverness with which this unique film is constructed.

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