I rented this movie not expecting too much.
Either some mindless week-end entertainment or a Bruce Willis vehicle.

I was very pleasantly surprised, but then again I like movies that have me saying “What the hell is going on?”

The movie opens with Goodkat, Mr. Goodkat (Willis) telling a stranger about an event that happened 26 years previous and seems completely unconnected to modern day.

And then a death…. And then a few more.

Enter Sleven Kelevra (Hartnett), a sad sack with a quick mouth and a busted nose who’s staying at his friend Nick’s apartment.
Enter Lindsay (Liu), Nick’s very hot next door neighbor. They fall for each other as soon as Sleven looses his towel.
Enter “The Boss” (Freeman) and “The Rabbi” (Kingsley), 2 crime lords trapped by their own fear in high rise apartments facing each other who both send their goons to pick up Sleven thinking that he’s Nick.
Slevin is traipsed around town in his towel, smacked in the nose again and given 2 ultimatums. Since both “The Boss” and “The Rabbi” think he’s Nick and Nick owes each of them large sums of cash, Slevin needs to pay up (one way or another) or the consequences will be dire.
The consequences are never really talked about, they are understood.
Re-Enter Goodkat, Mr. Goodkat. We don’t know much about him except that he is cold, he keeps showing up everywhere and he seems to be pulling a lot of the strings.
The reaction of the audience can best be summed up in the character of Brikowski the cop (Tucci). He is trying to be cool, is involved with all the key characters or is aware of them, but has no clue what is going on.

Events unfold (cut me some slack here, I hate giving away movie info).

When the worst performance you have is Stanley Tucci (who was great) you’re doing something seriously right. A little Willis goes a long way and he was used to perfection here. I’m beginning to think that his best work is in large ensemble cast pieces where he comes in like a fist and then leaves. Sin City, Pulp Fiction, Slevin… all great roles for him.
Ben Kingsley obviously did the most mental background work on his role and you really wanted more. A “why” would have been great and was the only question that I felt wasn’t answered. “Why is he called “The Rabbi”?” “Because he’s a Rabbi”
“Then why THE HELL is a Rabbi a crime lord?”
…nothin’…

The writing was slick and fast. The pacing was the same. The dialogue was clipped and laugh out loud funny in places.

A lot of movies have tried to capture a modern day “film noir” feel. The Grifters fell flat, Dead Again and L.A Confidential did a respectable job, but Slevin hits it right on the nose…
So to speak.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older