Movie · 2006 · Drama, Thriller, Crime, Mystery · 1h 50m · R · English
Curator score: 4.5/10 (440.1K ratings)
Wrong time. Wrong place. Wrong number.
Overview
Slevin is mistakenly put in the middle of a personal war between the city’s biggest criminal bosses. Under constant watch, Slevin must try not to get killed by an infamous assassin and come up with an idea of how to get out of his current dilemma.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.5/10
IMDb: 7.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.59/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
Metacritic: 53
TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Paul McGuigan
Production
FilmEngine, Capitol Films, Ascendant Pictures, VIP Medienfonds 4, Lucky Number Slevin Productions Inc., The Complex
Cast
Josh Hartnett, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu, Bruce Willis, Stanley Tucci, Mykelti Williamson, Peter Outerbridge, Michael Rubenfeld, Kevin Chamberlin, Dorian Missick, Scott Gibson, Corey Stoll, Robert Forster, Sam Jaeger, Danny Aiello, Jennifer Miller, Janet Lane, Oliver Davis, Sebastien Roberts
Curator Review
Verdict
A slick, fast-moving crime puzzle with a stacked cast and plenty of style, but it leans so hard on twists and cool dialogue that the story can feel overengineered. If you enjoy twisty, self-aware gangster capers with a comic edge, it’s an easy watch; if you want airtight plotting or emotional depth, it may leave you cold.
Best for
Viewers who like twisty crime capers
Fans of stylish, dialogue-driven thrillers
People who enjoy black comedy mixed with gangland intrigue
Audiences looking for an entertaining, low-commitment mystery
Skip if
You need a genuinely surprising twist
You dislike derivative Tarantino/Guy Ritchie energy
You prefer grounded crime drama over heightened pulp
You’re impatient with convoluted plotting
Overview
Lucky Number Slevin is a glossy, knowingly artificial crime thriller that runs on momentum, attitude, and a very game cast. It sets up a maze of mistaken identity, rival mob bosses, and escalating payback, then keeps tossing in reversals and wisecracks until the whole thing feels like a baroque con job. The appeal is less in solving the mystery than in enjoying the ride.
Worth noting
Josh Hartnett is well-suited to the role, playing the blank-faced drifter with just enough charm and deadpan timing to keep the movie afloat. Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis, and Lucy Liu all help sell the film’s slick, comic-book criminal world, even when the plotting gets a little too pleased with itself. The style is polished, the banter is sharp, and the pace rarely lets up.
Bottom line
What holds it back is that the movie often feels more assembled than discovered. The twist mechanics are visible if you’ve seen enough of this kind of crime yarn, and the film can seem more interested in cleverness than surprise. Still, as a piece of mid-2000s pulp entertainment, it’s efficient, entertaining, and easy to recommend with caveats.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Patrick Willems (2★) · 582 likes
Drop all the crime stuff, make it a romantic comedy with Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu, and you've got an okay movie
Nakul (3★) · 443 likes
Lucky Number Slevin is a Tarantino and Guy Ritchie wannabe film. It isn’t as clever or smart as it thinks, you can predict the twist half way through it’s story telling. BUT, but it's a slick, entertaining movie.
It got solid cast including Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley and Stanley Tucci. And Josh Hartnett makes a surprisingly great lead, loved his chemistry with Lucy Liu.
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (3.5★) · 207 likes
Well, the rumors were true…. This was somewhat convoluted…That being said, the performances in here are all around great and you can’t help but loose yourself in the great style of the picture that in many ways reminded me to a hybrid of Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn.
Its quick editing and snappy dialogue makes for a good time as we try to unravel the mystery that surrounds our protagonist played by the beloved Josh Hartnett, who sells the… more
Megan (4★) · 200 likes
i liked when slevin was like i actually have a condition it’s called not giving a fuck
Gabe Kvasic (4.5★) · 175 likes
The twist in this movie was actually pretty crazy. If you haven’t seen lucky number slevin, I strongly suggest you do. Your brain gets totally reworked over the course of the film. The acting was phenomenal, but I think you can expect that with the big names. I really don’t have many complaints. No doubt this movie is insane.
1999 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 1h 48m · R · Curator 3.6/10 (419.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
A pulpy, heightened crime film that leans into stylization, violence, and comic-book moral certainty.
1994 · Thriller, Crime, Comedy · 2h 34m · R · Curator 9.5/10 (6.5M ratings) · Where to watch: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
Nonlinear crime storytelling with sharp dialogue, dark humor, and a taste for eccentric underworld characters.
2000 · Mystery, Thriller · 1h 53m · R · Curator 9.1/10 (3.2M ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
For viewers who like puzzle-box plotting and a narrative built around withheld information and revelation.