Lucky Number Sleven

You may figure out the twist, as some critics have pointed out. You might find the dialog a little too zesty. Perhaps you would think the plot a bit too complicated. But you’ll have fun, that I guarantee.

Lucky Number Sleven, directed by Paul McGuigan, is a fun ride, mystery ending or no. The snappy patter is nearly rhythmic in its delivery and smart as a whip; the dialog here is everything it was not in V for Vendetta, crisp, sharp and serving to enhance the characters. Sure, it’s true no one talks like that, though many of wish we did, and it’s also true that people aren’t generally that quick witted, though some people think they are. Still, the characters are so fresh and the acting so good that it’s all made very believable if your just willing to allow yourself to flow with it rather than pick it apart.

The movie opens with a man in a wheelchair, played by Bruce Willis, telling a story in what appears to be a very empty airport lounge. Willis introduces us to the story of a man with a dream, a dream that involved winning a lot of cash on a fixed horse race. Unfortunately for him, the fixed horse doesn’t win and his large wager, placed with some ruthless bookies, now comes due.

This predicament sets up the rest of the story, including Willis’ favorite expression, the Kansas City Shuffle—a rather obscure term describing a sort of slight of hand, but with almost always fatal consequences. From here we meet Ben Kingsley and Morgan Freeman, two gangster so afraid of one another that they remain secluded in ivory tower like penthouses directly across the street from each other. Like two super power nations Kingsley and Freeman threaten family members and acquire body guards at an alarming rate, all on the principal that the mutually assured destruction theory will prevent the other from acting.

McGuigan gives us some nice moments with his direction, a neat shot of a character through a crystal chess piece, Kingsley staring out the window towards Freeman who glares back, though neither man can see the other. McGuigan’s last effort, Wicker Park, was similar, he seemed to enjoy shots that were unique and he liked deserted places that shouldn’t really be deserted, sort of giving the audience a very false sense of piece and safety.

In the middle of this tale of two gangster Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu play two people that get sucked into the middle of a very complicated rivalry. Meeting seemingly by chance they enjoy an excellent chemistry and they play beautifully off each other. Liu was dazzling in this movie and I have no doubt that her acting ability took a serious turn for the better. Hartnett is cool, funny and convincing as the complex character that sweeps Liu off her feet and tries to stay one step ahead of the gang lords who mistake him for a man owing them a large debt.

Each gangster enlists Hartnett for a favor in exchange for forgiving the debt, and from here the roller coaster plummets down hill and the twists, while often obvious, are thrilling none the less.

The only problem, in retrospect, that I might have with this film is Freeman. Don’t get me wrong, he is a terrific actor and as gifted as they come, but he was miscast here. Kingsley can have an edge about him, he can curl up his lip and be as mean and devious, while still intellectual, as the best of them. He gives us a controlled temper and a plodding personality, but in the end, when the plan is well thought out, we never doubt that he’ll get his man and get him brutally. But Freeman just doesn’t have that in him; he lacks the ability to play a mean, brutal type. I never found myself doubting his intelligence or his ability to survive, but he is not an a brutal gang lord. His grandfatherly appearance and quiet confidence just won’t allow it. He lacks the edge Kingsley has, he lacks the scowl and can’t give this movie the total lack of ethics, conscience and morality that Kingsley can.

If it’s still playing near you, it’s worth the money. Why this film has not been hyped more aggressively is beyond me. Willis, Liu, Hartnett and Kingsley are spectacular and this film should quickly land all of them another deal.