Quite frankly, I'm surprised that you're surprised. I assume you've seen the TV ads that first brought this to my attention, like, ten days ago, and made it clear that it would be freaking excellent.
Just look at that cast. (Put your thumb over Josh Hartnett. You think you don't like him because he's made choices like Hollywood Homicide, 40 Days and 40 Nights, and Pearl Harbor. If Sin City wasn't the role that made you start liking and respecting him, Lucky Number Slevin will be.)
Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Sir Ben Kingsley, and the Tooch. These guys don't say yes to some dopey independent project by virtual first-timers unless it's written brilliantly. And it is. The dialogue crackles in a Mamet-lite style that's reminiscent of the best parts of all the slick, enjoyable thrillers that Slevin gently homages (without ripping off). The plot, familiar in patches, but very inventive, moves too quickly to seem implausible. The writer (his first feature) previously brought Karen Sisco to the small screen, which was – as I've said before – one of the most underrated shows of its season.
Hartnett is fantastic. Lucy Liu is at her fantasticest, and I say that with full respect for how fantastic she's been in Charlie's Angels and Kill Bill, and – you'll have to trust me on these – Play It to the Bone and Joey. If you've ever loved her trippy, bubbly, sexy style, this is the film for you. If you've never understood why people like me like her, this is your chance to find out.
It's funny and riveting all the way through (though the wrap-up could've been half as long – but that's always the case), and it may not keep our most film-savvy readers guessing all the way to the end, but it'll come close and it'll certainly entertain along the way. Besides, it's probably history's funnest-to-pronounce movie title.
Highly recommended. (But someone does get killed with a fast-pitch baseball through his Coke bottle glasses in the first sequence – the film isn't gory, but there's plenty of violence. So avoid it if for some crazy reason that sort of thing bothers you.)
Joe Mulder — Mon, 4/10/06 12:31pm
Really. Wow. Huh. Really?
Bee Boy — Mon, 4/10/06 1:17pm
Yeah. Really.
Quite frankly, I'm surprised that you're surprised. I assume you've seen the TV ads that first brought this to my attention, like, ten days ago, and made it clear that it would be freaking excellent.
Just look at that cast. (Put your thumb over Josh Hartnett. You think you don't like him because he's made choices like Hollywood Homicide, 40 Days and 40 Nights, and Pearl Harbor. If Sin City wasn't the role that made you start liking and respecting him, Lucky Number Slevin will be.)
Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Sir Ben Kingsley, and the Tooch. These guys don't say yes to some dopey independent project by virtual first-timers unless it's written brilliantly. And it is. The dialogue crackles in a Mamet-lite style that's reminiscent of the best parts of all the slick, enjoyable thrillers that Slevin gently homages (without ripping off). The plot, familiar in patches, but very inventive, moves too quickly to seem implausible. The writer (his first feature) previously brought Karen Sisco to the small screen, which was – as I've said before – one of the most underrated shows of its season.
Hartnett is fantastic. Lucy Liu is at her fantasticest, and I say that with full respect for how fantastic she's been in Charlie's Angels and Kill Bill, and – you'll have to trust me on these – Play It to the Bone and Joey. If you've ever loved her trippy, bubbly, sexy style, this is the film for you. If you've never understood why people like me like her, this is your chance to find out.
It's funny and riveting all the way through (though the wrap-up could've been half as long – but that's always the case), and it may not keep our most film-savvy readers guessing all the way to the end, but it'll come close and it'll certainly entertain along the way. Besides, it's probably history's funnest-to-pronounce movie title.
Highly recommended. (But someone does get killed with a fast-pitch baseball through his Coke bottle glasses in the first sequence – the film isn't gory, but there's plenty of violence. So avoid it if for some crazy reason that sort of thing bothers you.)