LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN (2006) **

Lucky Number Slevin is yet another one of those Tarantino knockoffs that somehow were still being made long after their expiration date.  This one at least has Pulp Fiction’s Bruce Willis on board playing a soft-spoken hitman named “Mr. Goodkat”.  While it’s good seeing Bruce alongside such name actors like Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley, their talents largely go untapped. 

This is one of those crime comedies that feature hitmen, gangsters, and hoods that have names like “The Boss” and “The Rabbi” and characters that make pop culture references during casual conversation (Columbo, James Bond, and Hitchcock among them).  Tarantino had a knack for making this kind of stuff seem effortlessly hip.  In director Paul (Push) McGuigan’s hands, it seems forced and unfunny. 

The film feels more like a string of vignettes in search of a plot than anything.  Some of them work better than others, but the longwinded flashbacks that feature unnecessary slow motion are pretty annoying.  The final plot twist is predictable, although it might not have been so bad if it wasn’t for the constant back-and-forth with all the flashbacks. 

Star Josh Hartnett doesn’t do a bad job when he’s just hanging around in a bath towel and trying to convince everyone he isn’t a hitman.  When he’s actually called upon to do some assassinating, he’s rather unconvincing.  He does have a nice rapport with Lucy Liu and their scenes together are easily the best thing about the film.  Their chemistry helps keep you interested, even when the movie is contently spinning its wheels. 

AKA:  The Wrong Man.  AKA:  Slevin.