LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN **½

USA: Paul McGuigan, 2006

I must confess to being less than inspired at the time Lucky Number Slevin was released theatrically here in the UK. The media buzz I heard from radio spots and television commercials centred on the film being an unassailably cool and hip gangster thriller, with rising heartthrob Josh Hartnett at the heart of its box office appeal. Needless to say, I felt this was a movie I could pass up on seeing in the theatre.

Anyway, my sister recently rented the DVD and couldn’t praise the film enough. It should be noted my elder sibling and I have massively different cinematic tastes but her enthusiasm was sufficient to make me sit down and give the disc a spin.

The first half hour or so left me cold. I found the deliberately quirky dialogue laboured to say the least and director Paul McGuigan’s dependence on flashy camera tricky – such as frenetic editing and CGI assisted elaborate crash zooms - is an aesthetic so overused in mainstream cinema nowadays as to render it bankrupt of both meaning and effect. However, once the intentionally Byzantine plot was established and the film settled into its dramatic arc, I found myself warming to the whole thing.

It is understandable as such heavy weight actors as Morgan Freedman (a personal favourite) and Sir Ben Kingsley, can light up even the most bog-standard and derivative material. Here they play opposing crime lords – Freedman is THE BOSS and Kingsley THE RABBI - entrenched in their very own ‘ivory towers’ and headlong into an all out war revolving around betrayal, murder and revenge.

Don’t worry the film realises its strength lies within its ingenious plot and not social commentary. Thus we are thankfully saved from clumsy political posturing in favour of a succession of red herrings and plot feints, as Josh Hartnett – the titular SLEVIN – moves from unsuspecting victim to major puppet master: cue fast action flashback montage. To say anymore at this point would spoil the fun of the film.

So whilst I can’t be as whole heartily over zealous as my sister, I would say Lucky Number Slevin does merit attention, in that, by its close it executes a twist laden plot with aplomb and confidence. It falls short of excellence because it takes to long to settle in to its story and unsuccessfully endeavours to be cooler and cleverer than it is necessary.

IMDB reference

NEW SECTION: SCREENING LOG

My Movie Checklist

Taking inspiration from my good pal Capt. Whiggles I have decided to set-up another new section called the “Screening Log”. See Michael's screening log at(http://whiggles.landofwhimsy.com/movies/)

Essentially, these entries will act as an archive for every film I have watched since Tuesday 26/09/2006. So it is hoped in time a record will be built up, acting as a quick reference guide to the films I have seen and my thoughts on them.

I shall give each film a rating out of five and include basic reference details - such as the film’s director, the country of its origin and its date of release – to assist those interested in seeking out the film. Time constraints permitting I will also include a few lines on each film by way offering a very quick evaluation of the film in question. If an entry is for a film I have watched before the title will be preceded with (*).

Where applicable I shall include links to reviews, features, essays etc that I have written on particular films and this aspect of the Screening Log will be continually updated.
Please note: I intend to maintain this section as much as time and inclination allow. Therefore, for the purpose of clarity it is worth acknowledging that the date upon which I screened any given film may sometimes differ from the corresponding post’s publish date.

If you would like any further information on any of these films please leave a comment detailing your query. Likewise please feel free to share your own thoughts and ideas on this section or the entries therein.

Regards

The Count

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Another year on, I am a wizened 27 year-old.

WOMAN IN BLACK - THEATRE

For a birthday treat my girlfriend took me to see the utterly chilling play based on Susan Hill's novel WOMAN IN BLACK. Recommended.

Score: 10/10