LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN
Year: 2006
USA: The Weinstein Company
UK: Entertainment Film Distributors
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Sir Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci, Rick Bramucci, Kevin Chamberlin, Oliver Davis, Victorio Fodor, John Ghaly, Sam Jaeger, Janet Lane, Shira Leigh, Dorian Missick, Sebastien Roberts, Michael Rubenfeld, Corey Stoll, Matthew G Taylor
Director: Paul McGuigan
Country: USA
USA & UK: 110 mins
USA Rated: R for strong violence, sexuality and language
UK Certificate: 18 contains strong violence
USA Release Date: 7 April 2006
UK Release Date: 24 February 2006
Synopsis
Life isn't going well for Slevin (Josh Hartnett) - his apartment building has been condemned, he lost his ID to a mugger, and he just caught his girlfriend cheating on him. He borrows his friend Nick Fisher's New York apartment to get away from Los Angeles and his troubles for a while. But as his bad luck would have it, things are about to get a lot worse.
In New York's criminal underworld, the two most respected and feared kingpins are The Rabbi (Sir Ben Kingsley) and The Boss (Morgan Freeman). Once partners, they are now arch enemies who operate out of strongholds directly across the street from each other. Despite their power, they are prisoners of paranoia as neither man has left his fortress in 20 years.
But tensions are heating up between the two. To avenge the murder of his son, The Boss is planning a hit on The Rabbi's son. But if it looks like a hit, he'll be setting off World War Three. To solve his problem, The Boss hires the infamous assassin Goodkat (Bruce Willis), whose plan is simple: find a gambler who owes The Boss a lot of money and leverage him to kill The Rabbi's boy. Their target? Nick Fisher.
Meanwhile at Nick Fisher's apartment, Slevin and Nick's beautiful, lively neighbor Lindsey (Lucy Liu), flirtatiously get acquainted after she comes knocking on the door to borrow a cup of sugar. The next knock comes from The Boss' henchmen who come to collect Nick Fisher. Despite Slevin's protests, they remain unconvinced that Slevin isn't the man they are after. They drive Slevin to the stronghold where The Boss makes his offer clear: when Slevin kills The Rabbi's son, his debt will be paid.
Slevin is soon shaken down by The Rabbi's men, who also mistake him for Nick Fisher, whom it turns out also owes a substantial amount of money to The Rabbi. With all these trips to the two crime bosses, Slevin goes under constant surveillance by some of New York's finest detectives including Brikowski (Stanley Tucci).
Slevin and Lindsey, with whom he's becoming very close, can feel the noose tightening. He's going to have to do something, maybe something unthinkable, to get out of this maze of mistaken identity alive.
LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN is a quirky thriller that twists and turns its way through a dark world of crime and deadly revenge where nothing is as it seems. The film is directed by Paul McGuigan, written by Jason Smilovic, and produced by Ascendant Pictures' Christopher Eberts, Chris Roberts and Kia Jam and Film Engine's Tyler Mitchell, Robert Kravis and Anthony Rhulen.
