Barnes & Noble

In the post-Quentin Tarrantino film universe, complicated thrillers laced with black comedy and heavy on clever dialogue have become a genre unto themselves. Lucky Number Slevin is among the more satisfying of the breed. This zesty film has the feel of an edgy little indie, but the A-list cast stamps it as a prestige product. Josh Hartnett portrays an engaging young man who, mistaken for somebody else, gets thrust into the middle of a long-simmering feud between rival gangsters known only as the Boss (Morgan Freeman) and the Rabbi (Ben Kingsley). The wild card in this intricate game is an amoral hit man named Goodkat (Bruce Willis), who seems to be working for both factions. Director Paul McGuigan, who directed Hartnett in Wicker Park, employs narrative tricks designed to dazzle viewers while preventing them from piecing together the narrative puzzle too quickly. McGuigan’s last-reel wrap-up is reminiscent of The Usual Suspects, repeating key bits of footage that, reassembled in a different order with narration supplying added context, take on an entirely different meaning. Does Lucky Number Slevin leave us questioning a few plot points? Possibly. Does it still work as pure film entertainment? Without question. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

An innocent man visiting a friend in New York City becomes embroiled in a dangerous series of events after being mistaken for the very man he has come to the city to see in director Paul McGuigan's labyrinthine murder mystery. Upon arriving at the empty apartment of his old friend Nick, the unassuming Slevin (Josh Hartnett) is troubled to hear the voice of his missing friend's next door neighbor Lindsay (Lucy Liu) expressing concern as to Nick's safety and whereabouts. When Slevin ventures into Lindsay's apartment only to be greeted by the uninviting fist of a thuggish mob henchman, he quickly realizes that Nick is indeed in grave danger. Soon summoned by the big boss and accused of being the deeply indebted Nick, Slevin's attempts to prove his identity are foiled by the fact that his wallet had been stolen upon arrival in the city. With time running out and a complex plot to assassinate one of the city's most powerful crime bosses slowly coming into focus, the arrival of a notorious hit-man named Mr. Goodkat (Bruce Willis) forces Slevin to step up his desperate search and reclaim his identity before he's forced to pay a debt that could cost him his life. Jason Buchanan

Product Details

• UPC: 796019794817
• Source: WEINSTEIN COMPANY
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound
• Language: English
• Time: 1:50:00
• Sales Rank: 13,909

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