Lucky Number Slevin (2006)

More Than a Popcorn Flick

I remembered seeing trailers and commercials for this movie when it originally came on TV and really wanted to see it, but didn't and then totally forgot about it. When I got HBO this year and it came on, I decided casually to record it, not expecting much because I didn't remember much about what the movie was about. I was really pleasantly surprised, and liked it so much that I rented it a few weeks later to watch with my girlfriend in this widescreen edition, and she loved it as well.

I only give 5 stars to products that I love, and this is a movie that I love. I saw it twice in one month and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. At its heart, it's a mystery, which seems like a dwindling genre but this movie does it really well. The movie begins with Bruce Willis telling a flashback and then really begins with Josh Hartnett (Slevin) having bad luck (fired at work, girlfriend sleeping with another guy, getting robbed) and then being visited upon by mobsters working for Morgan Freeman claiming that he owes money because he's staying at a friend's place who's really the debtor. The story just unfolds from there as they try to figure out where his friend could be and how to pay back his debts to Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley.

Let's start with the cast: awesome. I couldn't think of anything bad to say about anyone. I LOVED Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley as opposing crime lords. You know that an actor is great when you've seen several of his movies before but when you're watching the movie at hand you forget about all those roles and can only think about how great they are in this one. I'm usually not a Lucy Liu fan, except for Kill Bill, but movies like this somehow really highlight her talents. She's the cute, hyperactive next door neighbor, and I believe her character throughout the movie. Josh Hartnett and Bruce Willis are also great in their roles, but for me to explain what those roles are would spoil too much of the story.

I think that the pacing is spot on, the writing is believable and witty, and the story really does keep you guessing until near the end, when you start putting together the dots. Unlike Veronica Mars episodes, you actually have a chance to figure out the mystery before the very end, but when you have this much fun watching it unfold, what's the point? I don't know how they do this, but the movie takes itself seriously and pokes fun at various elements of dark humor throughout the film, and it's part of what keeps the movie watchable in repeat viewings.

I have a 1080p LCD TV with an upscaling DVD player, and the video quality was excellent. Nothing to complain about there, or about the audio. The commentary track is actually pretty fun to listen to, and there are a couple of good deleted scenes to boot. I don't know why so many critics didn't like it, but it sounds like they were trying to be snooty because it felt like it was trying to be like Pulp Fiction at times if you put on your movie geek cap. Or maybe not every likes this brand of humor? It's not particularly unique, but that doesn't mean it's not good. Anyway, it's worth at least a rent if not a buy. I think you'll probably end up buying though so you can watch it again and again. December 12, 2008

Good movie but only worth watching once

This movie is a rent and not a must own. Only bought it because of the HD DVD fire sale. December 11, 2008

It was decent, if a bit overly polished

As always, there is a limit to how bad anything Morgan Freeman appears in can be. He did a great job for his part, but there were some things that were a bit unexplained in the movie. Weak points:

1. What caused the schism between the two bosses? How did the timing work out so perfectly that the first boss knew that the second killed his son?
2. It is very easy for Bruce Willis to look cool, but it seems like his walking into a parking garage and shooting someone while in motion in an elevator was a bit.....overdone.
3. The treatment of how the failed bet (around which the whole movie was based) was a bit stretched. Were all that many steps really necessary to explain how the information traveled all the way to the person who made the bet?
4. When Lucy Liu's character was "killed" at the end of the movie (and the shooting was later found to have not been done properly), can we really believe that a hitman would make a hit and then not make sure that his target was dead? Pushing the limits of believability.
5. How was Bruce Willis' character someone who left New York for many years only to come right back and know all intimate details that would be needed for him to pull off the job in the way that it was pulled off?

Strong points:

1. It is nice how the whole movie came together in a sort of "Aha!" way at the end.

2. The casting was excellent. Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley and all of the assistants to the boss did a great job in their roles ("Slow," etc). November 27, 2008

Lucky Number Slevin - Blu-ray Info

Version: U.S.A / Weinstein / Region A
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
MPEG-4 AVC BD-50 / High Profile 4.1
Running time: 1:49:55
Movie size: 34,91 GB
Disc size: 45,66 GB
Total bit rate: 42.35 Mbps
Average video bit rate: 34.22 Mbps
Number of chapters: 18
Subtitles: English SDH / Spanish

Dolby TrueHD Audio English 2854 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 24-bit / 2854kbps (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 192kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 192kbps

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Version: U.K / Entertainment in Video / Region A, B & C(?)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
VC-1 BD-25
Running time: 1:50:07
Movie size: 22,14 GB
Disc size: 22,86 GB
Total bit rate: 26.81 Mbps
Average video bit rate: 23.52 Mbps
Number of chapters: 16
Subtitles: English
DTS-HD Master 5.1 1459Kbps (48kHz/16-bit) November 5, 2008

Offbeat Twists and Turns

Lucky Slevin is anything but conventional. As it begins, you are beginning to wonder if this is just another silly character film that goes nowhere. Even good actors (Willis, Freeman) make bad movies, right? But... if you are wiling to hang in there, "Lucky" turns from silly to powerfully focused and the twists are really quite unpredictable. When this one is over you will think, "Boy, better than I ever thought this would be!" Thumbs up! October 20, 2008

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