Lucky # Slevin

Lucky Number Slevin's story isn't revolutionary, but what screenwriter and then director Paul McGuigan did with it “is worth taking my hat off to, that is, if I had one on my head." Of course he had the support of outstanding actors: Bruce Willis, Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman and, most importantly, the excellent (I'm surprised at myself using the word in context with him) Josh Hartnett (Slevin Kelevra), whom I never really liked. And Bruce in the role of the hitman, Mr. Goodcat, shows that he doesn't belong on the scrapheap, and after Sin City and 16 Blocks, it's another successful notch in his career. So if you want a suspenseful, entertaining, and dark thriller, you shouldn’t miss Slevin. In addition, you will learn a number of interesting lessons from the film. The main lesson that stuck in my head was: Don't wear a towel longer than necessary :) (08/04/2006)

The first half, full of wanna-be cool dialogue where the characters are supposed to verbally make fun of each other, is pure misery. Then the action gets going and McGuigan finally puts some edge on the overwrought story. The explanatory flashbacks are fun, but there’s no believability. Hartnett actually acts (!), Willis is stony as usual, and the rest of them sort of shuffle around, content that they have famous names, count their film awards by the metric ton, and try to look terribly above it all. Awkwardness is the impression that best describes it, and I'll probably never give it a second chance. I give it a weaker three stars. (10/22/2010)

Every movie fan since Kill Bill knows that revenge tastes best served cold. Unfortunately, I got my mouth properly scalded by McGuigan. Initially, the story is promisingly paced, narratively enjoyable and witty, with no fucking around with machine guns, and with likeable characters. But about half an hour before the end it changes its face completely, the narrative lightness is gone and the overwrought resolution with tiresome explanatory flashbacks and a numerous body count comes into play, lacking insight and thus putting McGuigan's film among this year's unoriginal, long-worn by me uselessness of the type of Running Scared. I'm just bored of all these ultra-hyper-cool Tarantino clones! Ben Kingsley can only remember his Gandhi and Itzhak Stern with a tear in his eye, his acting is awful (especially noticeable in the dialogue scene between him and Freeman), some of the holes in logic of the plot are truly remarkable, and Josh Hartnett proves that he is just a mediocre actor and simply not up to serious roles. (09/30/2006)

Lately, there have been too many of these attempts at innovation, but this relatively tired mess, which is only interesting for its visuals and a few camera moments, is just like all the others, thus nothing special. The initially solid plot is ruined by the final half-hearted and considerably complicated explanation with a ton of flashbacks. The connection with the characters is minimal because at the beginning, we do not know why they act the way they do, since we do not know the whole plot, and the messed up ending can’t save things. It lacks a bit more with and perhaps more action. Ben Kingsley is tragic, and Josh Hartnett simply doesn't fit here, Bruce Willis is great, though. (05/23/2007)

I'm quite glad that after watching the movie "Bride Wars," I chose to watch "Load and Kill" because I immediately got the feeling that it still makes sense to watch movies and that they can still bring something new and interesting. That's exactly what I got from the movie with the terrible Czech title. It's a great action film that doesn't spare violence and naturalism, but also doesn't spare humor, and it's not afraid to go into absurdities. I wouldn't be afraid to compare it to the movie "Red," where they also have some actors in common - two at once. Morgan Freeman and Bruce Willis have come together again, this time giving more space to Josh Hartnett, who is truly great in this case. You will truly believe that fool, and in addition, he is excellently portrayed by the great Lucy Liu. They all fit together perfectly, and you will enjoy the story, which may look a bit tangled at first glance, but once you penetrate it and reveal the essence, you will become part of a thoughtful whole that won't disappoint you. The way it is presented, from the camera to the acting performances and editing, it all fits together. It is such a small, great film that there can never be enough of them. I really enjoyed it, and the film impressed me, even though I didn't hear much about it when it was in theaters. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/05/kocour-v-botach-jedna-hodne-blba-svatba.html (02/19/2013)