Lucky Number Slevin [DVD]

I was quite surprised when I watched this film - why? - well I wasn't expecting what I got.I watched a well thought out and gripping film. It's a long time since I sat down and watched a dvd all the way through, without moving from my chair.It is quietly played (rather than the usual bang, loud and in your face style that you usually get these days) by Josh Hartnett (proving that he's not just a bit of eye candy for the girlies in his underplayed lead character "Slevin"); Bruce Willis (who showed that he is more than " Die Hard "), Morgan Freeman (sorry but I've always found him a bit on the wooden side, but he's not that bad in this), Ben Kingsley (I've still not forgiven him for the Americanised  Thunderbirds  film). It would have been so easy for these roles to be overplayed but their not, with one exception ... I found the Lucy Liu acting for the character of Lindsley over cooked and very hammy.The story plays out nicely at a good steady pace, and it held me throughout.The only down side to the film in my point of view is Lucy Liu (I realise that men have to have their totty to look at but the scenes that appeared in seemed to be the only real disappointment, the only bits that seem to drag-on a little and unnecessarily slow the story down and the character was overplayed and irritating).The down point to the dvd is again the very, very poor amount of extras (2 of them - the making of and a trailer).Once again region 2 equals second class citizens in the dvd world. Normally I would have reduced the stars given but the film was very good and doesn't deserve the downgrade.I enjoyed it ... if you're unsure rent it or borrow it from a friend and give it a try. I'm glad I bought it.

And, when I say `like an American Guy Richie film' I mean one of his good ones, not Swept Away. Lucky Number Slevin follows the tale of a young man, oddly enough who goes by the name `Slevin.' Upon arriving in New York he's mistaken for someone else and ends up getting caught in a life or death feud between two rival mob bosses (both wonderfully played by Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley). Throw into the mix a hitman (Bruce Willis) who you don't know which side he's on and Lucy Lui as the love interest and you have the recipe for a half decent film.Like made famous more in British gangster films, there are plenty of shady characters along the way (you know most will end up on the wrong end of a gun sooner or later), plus even more twists and turns so you don't know who's double-crossing who. However, luckily there aren't so many plot twists here that the conclusion will leave you scratching your head and having to look the end up on the internet (as I found myself doing with Guy Ritchie's `Revolver').All in all, Lucky Number Slevin is a good, solid entry into the gangster genres. It may never quite attain the dizzy heights of Goodfellas etc, but it's definitely worth a watch it you're a fan of the genre.

This film sees a young man (Josh Hartnett) picked up by two rival gangs (headed by Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley). He is asked to do a (different) job by each of them, which confuses him, as he can't see why he should. Under the threat of violence, however, he plays along, only for him to find a way out from under this, by the end of the movie.It's not exactly The Magnificent Ambersons, but it rattles along at a good pace, and the actors handle the humour Hartnett uses to try and talk himself out of situations well.Incidentally, don't see the trailer before you see the movie. You need to be wondering what's going on in the film to really enjoy it, and the trailer gives it away.

Initially I just came for Josh Hartnett but I thought this film was brilliant. It's very slick and stylised - with something of a more polished Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels feel to it's production/direction and it has a similar feel (also comparable to Guy Ritchie's Snatch) in how it plays out with multiple gangster-tinged storylines all coming together.It starts a little slow but it gets going soon enough and it's well worth the initial investment of patience for the story to start unfolding properly. Hartnett plays the main central character of Slevin and does so extremely well, Lucy Liu puts in a great performance as his new neighbour and love interest, Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley each do a great job of opposing kingpins trying to get one over each other and Bruce Willis is brilliant as an independent hitman in the middle (without giving anything away!).As to be expected, there is double-crossing and lots of violence along with a decent undertone of comedy and some romance, too. It's all paced very well for the most part, always entertaining and very good looking as a film and there's a great twist at the end. Really glad I stumbled across this film and it's certainly good enough for a second viewing.