Lucky Number Slevin (also known as Lucky # Slevin or The Wrong Man) is a 2006 crime thriller film written by Jason Smilovic, directed by Paul McGuigan and starring Josh Hartnett, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci and Bruce Willis. Set in New York City, the plot focuses on the paths of Slevin Kelevra (Hartnett), Lindsey (Liu), two feuding crime bosses known as The Boss (Freeman) and The Rabbi (Kingsley), and a mysterious assassin known as Mr. Goodkat (Willis). Image File history File linksMetadata LNS_Poster2. ... Paul McGuigan (born 1963-09-19 in Bellshill, Scotland) is a Scottish filmmaker. ... Jason Smilovic is an writer, executive producer, and creator of the television series Kidnapped and Karen Sisco. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a German-American actor and singer. ... Lucy Alexis Liu (Chinese: 劉玉玲 Liú Yùlíng, born December 2, 1968 in Queens, New York) is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress. ... For the Dawsons Creek director, see Morgan J. Freeman. ... Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE, (born December 31, 1943) is a British actor. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Joshua Ralph, better known as J. Ralph, is a musician whose songs are regularly featured in modern commercials. ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ... The Weinstein Company is an independent American film studio founded by Harvey and Bob Weinstein in 2005 after the pair left the Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979. ... February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Thriller films are movies that primarily use action and suspense to engage the audience. ... Jason Smilovic is an writer, executive producer, and creator of the television series Kidnapped and Karen Sisco. ... Paul McGuigan (born 1963-09-19 in Bellshill, Scotland) is a Scottish filmmaker. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... For the Dawsons Creek director, see Morgan J. Freeman. ... Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE, (born December 31, 1943) is a British actor. ... Lucy Alexis Liu (Chinese: 劉玉玲 Liú Yùlíng, born December 2, 1968 in Queens, New York) is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a German-American actor and singer. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Plot

The film opens with the mysterious deaths of two men, the first shot in a parking garage, the second man killed behind his desk with a baseball bat. In both cases ledgers are stolen from their bodies and the face of the assassin(s) are not shown.

Later, in the waiting area of an airport, a young, bearded man is approached by Bruce Willis's character, sitting alongside him in a wheelchair and retelling the story of a low-income family man who made a large bet with an off-track bookie based on a sure-thing tip he heard regarding a fixed horse race. The gangsters financing the bookie were new in town and upon discovering the "fixed race," eliminated everyone involved, from horse to bookie to betters, as an object lesson to solidify their reputation. After concluding the story, Willis's character stands from his wheelchair and breaks the bearded man's neck.

In the present day, a young Slevin Kelevra (Josh Hartnet) stares with concern at his broken nose in the mirror in the apartment of good friend Nick Fisher, who has invited Slevin into town. While settling into the apartment (wearing only a towel) he meets Lindsey (Lucy Liu), a neighbor from across the corridor. Slevin arrived at Nick's apartment and noticed the door was open and was waiting for Nick to return his calls. Lindsey thinks Nick is in trouble and immediately embarks on a mission to find out what has happened to him, as she believes Nick has something to do with a hotel telephone number. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lucy Alexis Liu (Chinese: 劉玉玲 Liú Yùlíng, born December 2, 1968 in Queens, New York) is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress. ...

Just after she leaves to go to work, Slevin is kidnapped by two henchmen who drag him to the office of The Boss (Morgan Freeman), a powerful local crime lord, who has mistaken Slevin for Nick and is looking to collect Nick's sizeable debt. Perhaps realizing that Slevin is not Nick, the Boss offers to forgive the debt if Slevin agrees to murder the son (The Fairy) of his rival and former partner The Rabbi (Ben Kingsley), in retaliation for the Rabbi authorizing the murder of the Boss's son. The Boss gives Slevin until the next morning to consider his options. For the Dawsons Creek director, see Morgan J. Freeman. ... Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE, (born December 31, 1943) is a British actor. ...

Later in the film, it is revealed that The Boss hired a professional killer known as Smith to kill The Fairy, but agreed with Smith's proposal to have the killing done by Nick Fisher, after which Smith would kill Nick in such a way that it would look like a suicide pact of two gay lovers, avoiding the criminal war that would inevitably follow if The Rabbi believed The Boss was behind the death of his son.

Soon after Slevin returns to his apartment, he is taken by some Jewish henchmen to meet The Rabbi, who resides in a penthouse directly oppostive The Boss's own penthouse. The Rabbi, too, mistakes Slevin for Nick, and also wants Slevin to come up with a large sum of money to pay off a debt.

Slevin returns to his apartment, and tells Lindsey of his situation. Lindsey observes that Slevin is inexplicably calm about the situation, to which Slevin replies that he has a condition known as ataraxia (although in truth it is not a medical condition so much as it is a frame of mind). Lindsey has taken a cell phone photo of the mysterious hitman Smith (Willis) whilst checking out a hotel she believes Nick was staying in. As Slevin reluctantly plans to murder The Fairy, he is bundled into an unmarked police van, mistaken for a new professional hit man. The police know Slevin is not Nick, as Nick has a criminal record and his photo is on file. The Rabbi also suspects that Slevin is not Nick, but has no evidence to prove this. Meanwhile, Slevin and Lindsey become lovers. Ataraxia (Ἀταραξία) is a Greek term used by Pyrrho and Epicurus for freedom from worry or any other preoccupation, and for Epicurus to achieve Hêdonê, the great pleasure. ...

Later, Slevin has a date with The Fairy and kills him. This is a turning point in the film, as up to this point Slevin seems friendly and naive and not at all inclined to kill someone. Goodkat arrives and it becomes clear the two men are working together and Slevin is not who he appears to be. Fisher's body, which Goodkat has supplied, is planted at the scene with Slevin's unique wristwatch placed on its wrist. A bomb is then detonated, burning the bodies. The Boss is unhappy because the killing was supposed to be done in a way that made it look like an accident rather than a mob hit. A motion picture rating system categorizes films with regard to suitability for children and/or adults in terms of issues such as sex, violence and profanity. ... Alberta Film Ratings is a motion picture rating system administered by the Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture of the Canadian province of Alberta, used to regulate theatrical showings of motion pictures. ... The British Columbia Film Classification Office, part of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General in the Canadian province of British Columbia under the Motion Picture Act of BC uses the following motion picture rating system (based on the Canadian Home Video Rating System) for theatrical releases : General. ... The Ontario Film Review Board uses the following motion picture rating system for theatrical releases in the Canadian province of Ontario under the Theatres Act: General. ... The Manitoba Film Classification Board is part of the Ministry of Culture, Heritage and Tourism of the government of the Canadian province of Manitoba. ... The Maritime Film Classification Board is a government organization responsible for reviewing films and granting film ratings in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) is the government agency in New Zealand that is responsible for classification of all films, videos, publications, and some video games in New Zealand. ... British Board of Film Classification logo The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors, is the organisation responsible for film and some video game classification and censorship within the United Kingdom. ... The MPAA film rating system is a system used in the United States and territories and instituted by the Motion Picture Association of America to rate a movie based on its content. ...

The third act of the film reveals that the whole story is about avenging the 1979 horseracing incident and the murder of Slevin's family by killing all those involved: The Boss, The Rabbi, and the police detective. Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ...

Goodkat's connection to all of this is that he was the killer hired to execute Slevin as a small boy. Unable to bring himself to kill the boy, he chooses to keep the boy alive and raises him himself.

Goodkat (Bruce Willis) and Slevin (Josh Hartnet) settle some business.

Grown-up Slevin and Goodkat decide to get close to both The Rabbi and The Boss. They do this by first eliminating the bookies financed by the Rabbi and The Boss. At this point it is revealed that Smith was responsible for the death of the man in the parking garage at the beginning of the film, and Slevin is responsible for killing the second bookie with a baseball and his bodyguards with poison tipped darts. In both cases, Slevin retrieves their books and begins studying them extensively. Slevin then kills the son of The Boss (this provokes The Boss into bringing in Goodkat, the best assassin he knows, to kill The Fairy). For this purpose, Slevin takes the identity of Nick Fisher, who owes a debt to both bosses bookies (Fisher is selected as he is a significant loser in both bookies' records). Fisher (the stranger in the airport at the beginning) is murdered by Goodkat, and the son of The Boss is killed by Slevin so that The Boss will hire Goodkat for revenge. Slevin pretends he was mugged and his wallet was stolen so he cannot be properly identified. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (6097x3560, 1175 KB) Summary This is a good version of Josh and Bruce. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (6097x3560, 1175 KB) Summary This is a good version of Josh and Bruce. ... Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a German-American actor and singer. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Slevin and Goodkat then kill a number of bodyguards, kidnap The Boss and The Rabbi and tie them together. Finally, Slevin kills both of them in the same way they killed his father, by wrapping plastic bags over their heads and taping them closed, causing them to suffocate.

At the end of the film, another police officer telephones Detective Brikowski on his cellphone and tells him what he has learned about the apparently related fixed horse race and the murders of those involved. The detective instinctively discovers during this time that Slevin is the boy who was supposed to have been murdered by Goodkat. The origin of Slevin's name is also revealed as the name of the race horse that died. The detective is then disclosed to viewers as having been the mob hitman who murdered Slevin's mother.

Slevin then raises up in the backseat of the detective's car (with no explanation of how he got there) and kills him with a handgun.

Lindsey is Slevin's lover, however she is an unpredictable factor - she wants to help Slevin but when her investigations include taking a photo of Goodkat, Goodkat tells Slevin she must die. Slevin warns her, however, and has her wear a bullet-proof vest with a bag of blood over her heart to make it look like she has been killed when Goodkat shoots her (Goodkat always shoots his victims in the heart).

In the final scene, Slevin and Lindsey meet at the airport when Goodkat arrives and tells Slevin that he understands Slevin's deception, because he had done essentially the exact same thing when he chose not to execute Slevin as a small boy. They part amiably.

(In an alternate ending found on the DVD, Slevin shoots Lindsey.)

Cast

• Josh Hartnett — Slevin Kelevra
• Stanley Tucci — Detective Brikowski
• Bruce Willis — Goodkat/Smith
• Rick Bramucci — Soldier
• Kevin Chamberlin — Marty
• Oliver Davis — Henry
• Victoria Fodor — Helen
• Morgan Freeman — The Boss
• John Ghaly — Police Officer
• Sam Jaeger — Nick Fisher
• Sir Ben Kingsley — The Rabbi
• Janet Lane — Blondie
• Shira Leigh — Hottie
• Lucy Liu — Lindsey
• Mykelti Williamson — Sloe
• Dorian Missick — Elvis
• Sebastien Roberts — Man
• Michael Rubenfeld — The Fairy
• Robert Forster — Murphy
• Corey Stoll — Saul
• Matthew G. Taylor — Man

This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a German-American actor and singer. ... Kevin Chamberlin (born November 25, 1963 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA) is an American actor. ... Oliver James Davis (born May 24, 1993) is an American child actor. ... For the Dawsons Creek director, see Morgan J. Freeman. ... Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji on December 31, 1943) is an English actor of Indian (Gujarati) and Russian-Jewish descent. ... Lucy Alexis Liu (Chinese: 劉玉玲 Liú Yùlíng, born December 2, 1968 in Queens, New York) is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress. ... Mykelti Williamson (born March 4, 1960 in St. ... Dorian Missick (born January 15, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Damian in Six Degrees and Victor Vance in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. ... Sebastien Roberts (born Sabastien Robert December 29, 1972, Montreal) is a French-Canadian actor of television and film, working in both French and English since the mid 1990s. ... Robert Forster (born July 13, 1941) is an American actor. ... An actor who played the part of The Nemisis in Resident Evil:Apocalypse. ...

Awards & nominations

Trivia

• On promotional material for the film, Ben Kingsley's credit included his honorary title. At first, the actor was singled out for some criticism as such things are usually omitted from professional credits. It transpired that this was a mistake by a studio executive, who was unfamiliar with the British honours system.^[2]
• The movie's violence and style earned it comparisons with the work of director Quentin Tarantino.^{[citation needed]}
• Bruce Willis and Josh Hartnett were in another movie together, Sin City, although they did not share a scene.
• The film's title in Australia is The Wrong Man. This is the title of a 1956 Hitchcock film in which the lead character has a case of mistaken identity, a theme which many Hitchcock films, and indeed this film, share.^[3] In fact, the main character's plight in North by Northwest is referenced by The Rabbi as being similar to Slevin's.
• It should be noted that Slevin's real name in the movie is Henry, a possible nod to Henry Fonda of the movie The Wrong Man.
• Kingsley's character (The Rabbi) dies in the same way as his character of Colonel Massoud Amir Behrani in the movie House of Sand and Fog - asphyxiated by a plastic bag taped around the head. However, in House of Sand and Fog it is a suicide and in Lucky Number Slevin it is an execution.
• The film shares many similarities with Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo where a samurai plays two rival criminals against each other. Yojimbo was remade as Walter Hill's Last Man Standing which also stars Bruce Willis as a hit man named "Mr. Smith" in prohibition-era America. ^[4]
• The name of the film comes from an episode of The New Shmoo. Shmoo is also referenced by Morgan Freeman in the movie.
• The hand X-ray in the coroner's office is the director's hand.^{[citation needed]}
• There are several references to video games in the film. One being that Nick Fishers apartment number is 47 which is the assasin and hitman in the Hitman series. Another being the name Fisher which is the protagonist in the Splinter Cell series.

The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals personal bravery, achievement or service to the United Kingdom. ... Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, actor, and screenwriter. ... Sin City is a 2005 neo-noir anthology film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. ... The Wrong Man is a 1956 film by Alfred Hitchcock which stars Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hitchcock can refer to: People Alfred Hitchcock, the film director. ... North by Northwest is a 1959 MGM comic thriller by Alfred Hitchcock and is generally considered one of his best works. ... This article is about the movie. ... Yojimbo (Japanese: 用心棒, Yōjinbō) is a 1961 jidaigeki (period drama) film by Akira Kurosawa. ... Walter Hill (born January 10, 1942 in California) is a prominent American film director, who is known in particular for his revival of the Western. ... Last Man Standing is a 1996 action film written and directed by Walter Hill, starring Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, and Bruce Dern. ... Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a German-American actor and singer. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The New Shmoo is a 1979 NBC cartoon about a group of teenagers, Mickey, Nita, and Billy Jo, who solve mysteries and crimes with their friend, a Shmoo. ... For the Dawsons Creek director, see Morgan J. Freeman. ... This article is about the video game series. ... An image from the original Splinter Cell Splinter Cell is a series of video games endorsed by American author Tom Clancy. ...

References

1. ^ Lucky Number Slevin Box Office Statistics, Box Office Mojo
2. ^ BBC News: Kingsley downplays 'Sir' furore
3. ^ The Wrong Man (2006) - Yahoo!7 Movies
4. ^ New York Times Review

Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic way. ...

See also

• Ataraxia
• Kansas City Shuffle

Ataraxia (Ἀταραξία) is a Greek term used by Pyrrho and Epicurus for freedom from worry or any other preoccupation, and for Epicurus to achieve Hêdonê, the great pleasure. ... The first appearance of the term is in the 1926 song Kansas City Shuffle by jazz pianist Bennie Moten. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Lucky Number Slevin

• Official site
• Lucky Number Slevin at the Internet Movie Database
• Lucky Number Slevin at Rotten Tomatoes
• Lucky Number Slevin at Box Office Mojo
• Watch: Red Carpet Premiere, NYC, on independentfilm.com