Episode 164. Lucky Number Slevin (2006)

On this episode of B&R at the Movies podcast, Berry and Robin watch and discus the 2006 film Lucky Number Slevin. This smooth talking action film stars Josh Hartnett, Sir Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci, Corey Stoll, and Kevin Chamberlin. This gangster, crime, thriller is written by Jason Smilovic and directed by Paul McGuigan. 

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:15

Alright, everybody, welcome back for another episode of BR at the movies podcast. I'm Barry. And I'm Robin. Alright, so this week was my choice of film. Yes. I have decided that I have waited for this film long enough that I was finally gonna show it to you. Okay. So we are gonna be watching Lucky Number Sleven.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Lucky number Sleven.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Yes. I have not seen it. Lucky number seven. Um this film is 20 years old. Wow. Made in 2006. Okay. Uh starring Josh Hartnett, Sir Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, Lucy Lou, uh Stanley Tucci. Wow. Uh a lineup. Yeah. Oh it's huge. Yeah. Just massive names in the cast. It's just massive hairs left and right. Um this one it has been has been received pretty well in um IMDB. It's got a 7.7 out of 10, and that's with 3,038 uh 338,000 reviews.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

So it so it's it's held pretty good for for the audience.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Um for me, this is so I want your opinion on this film. It's like, do I is it a is so it is a action film.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:40

Bruce Willis. I think that right. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

I find this movie hilarious. And I don't know if it's just as I call like dude funny, where it's like, it's it's like it's not like bathroom humor kind of stuff, but it's just more of just like it's just it's just my kind of humor. Or is it a lot of like wink wink kind of like um maybe this it's a lot of fast language, like so it's a lot, it's a lot of uh quick whips and like quick quick replies back. Um I like that it is um uh well I guess it's I was gonna it's not really like nonlinear, but it's more of uh you have to wait for a lot of stuff to be revealed, I guess is how I would put it. Okay. All right, okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Good to know.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

So it's yeah, so it's it's it's pretty interesting in my opinion, as far as the the actual story and how it goes. Um it's one of those that once you've once you've seen it before and you know all the twists, it's still interesting to go back and watch it again. And and now knowing that information on how everything goes. Um so it's one of those that I kind of like I like the rewatch sometimes. You know, you get the rewatch of like, oh yeah, yeah, I know this part.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Um, but yeah, massive, massive heavy hitters. Um, but like I said, I I really think it's I really think it's funny, but it's not listed as a comedy. It's okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

So you're gonna wait and see if I think it's exciting. So I want well first of all. I mean, I might like it, but I might not think it's a that's a comedy.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

That's what I was thinking, that's what I was thinking too. I was like, hopeful, hopefully you like it in general. Right. Um, and then I want to see if you actually think it's funny.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Um so that that's kind of what that's kind of what I was thinking about this time.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

I do like Bruce, and it'd be nice to see something with Bruce Willison right now.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

So yeah, well, and you know, because um this was 20 year 20 years ago, Bruce, so it's you know, the height of you know, Bruce Willis. Is it like right after diehard kind of thing?

SPEAKER_01 3:46

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Well, he was still doing diehard up until I mean I like the like the real one, the first one. Well, no, this quite a quite a few years after the first after the crazy.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Yeah, but he yeah, but he was like in his prime as far as like that kind of movie. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Absolutely, yeah. He was he was the action guy.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Yeah, because the other diehards they don't count. The first one counts. Alan Rickman is in that one, and he's fabulous. Oh, I love that. And so after that, nope. Doesn't work for me. There you go. But I do like Bruce. Yeah, so yeah. Okay, cool.

SPEAKER_00 4:19

So yeah, so so we'll see. I I really I'm really interested to see what your take is on this. I hope I'm not way off base and you absolutely hate it.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

I'm hoping that you'll you'll I mean we have a lot to talk about if I don't like it.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Of course, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Because you know, I come I come out with it instantly if I was like, well, that sucks. Yeah, it's like yeah no.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

All right.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

Never gonna get that hour and a half back.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Actually, it's pretty cle pretty nothing.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

But I'm sure it's not gonna be that way.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

That's not gonna be that way. But in my in my opinion, it's it's a fun, it's a fun ride film. That's that's how we look at it.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

All right. Open mind. I'll have my open mind.

SPEAKER_00 4:56

There you go. There you go. Yes. All right, guys. We're gonna go ahead and dive in and watch Lucky Number Slevin, and then we will come back a little bit talk about it. Okay. All right, we will be back in.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

I want to know about that title too. What in the heck is that?

SPEAKER_00 5:09

All will be revealed. All will be revealed. Okay, good, good. All right, guys, we'll be back in a little bit. All right, everybody, welcome back. We just got done watching Lucky Number Slevin. And since this was your first time watching it, I'll let you go and take a sway on this one.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

You know, it it's one of these that as I'm watching them go, I don't know if I like it. I don't know if I like it.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

But they wrap it up really well at the end.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

Yes, they do.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

So, and and it ends kind of on a good note, even though good God, lots of killing.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

It's one of those I don't I don't think of the killing. It's so funny. It's like I don't think of it until I'm sitting here with you. And then it's like, oh my god, oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

I mean, how many people are gonna die within the first few minutes?

SPEAKER_00 5:59

I know.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

It's so like, oh my god. Yeah. Yeah. Uh but um yeah, it it it was a very good, it was a very complicated story, actually. Um, and it is one that, you know, um they they kind of hold your hand at the end. Well, yeah, they kind of a little bit. So just in case you didn't catch it, just in case, you know, whatever. Right. You know, yeah, I mean, but if you're really on top of it when you're watching it right from the beginning, you don't need that. And but it but it's not bad. No, it yeah, and it's one for them to kind of help you along there a little bit, you know.

SPEAKER_00 6:35

Right. And it's not it's not like a wrap-up that makes you feel like you're an idiot and you didn't catch everything. It's more of like this is the stuff that was going on that we didn't tell you about.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Yeah, yeah. And it's like, yeah, let let's just uh connect all of the you probably connected most of the dots, right? You know, pretty easily. But they're gonna let you connect all of the dots.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Yeah, and there yeah, and there's some that it that you may have caught and you may have not, and then it's like so it's like all right, we'll bring everybody together. And so I I like that. Uh so that's why when I first when I was thinking of this film, mom's like, I'm like, it's nonlinear storytelling, and then it's like it's kind of nonlinear, but it's kind of more of like it goes forward, and then there's stuff that you're not privy to yet, and then they show you what you had later.

SPEAKER_01 7:27

Yeah, and it yeah, and it and and by the end it it reveals everything. Right. It does, it doesn't leave you like walking out of the theater going, okay, what do you think? What who did it? What is it? Yeah, exactly. You really don't have a lot of questions at the end. Right. Which is kind of nice. It kind of wrap it up for you. I like that. Yeah. But yeah, the I mean, you know me and killing though. Yeah, well, and uh it but it but the I mean it's okay because it's supposed to be about, you know, it it's assassins and mobs and yeah. Yeah, and all that kind of stuff. So but yeah, some of it is just so blatant. It's like it's like who uh if for a while there, who's gonna be left?

SPEAKER_00 8:10

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

You're killing everybody, what you're killing every character you're seeing. It's like what? What?

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Yeah, and in the uh in the end there's only three stand three left hand I can't.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Yeah, so you know, it is you know, it is pretty interesting, actually. Um but yeah, it it is a good story. It is. And it's I mean, you know, I mean, it's one, even though it's a lot of killing and I don't like killing. Right. Um, you know, yeah, I I would I I wouldn't crave to see it again, but I would watch it again.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

And it's kind of one of and like I said, on the rewatch of it, you're like, okay, now you know the you know the back, you know actually what's going on, and then it's like you're almost kind of like, okay, how are they deceiving this person and at this point? What are they doing over here? And so yeah, you kind of know more of the moves that are going on.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

But it is kind of fun the first time through. Oh, it absolutely is. So I don't know if I'd watch it again for that.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

No, no, no, it's just an added an added thing that you get the second time through.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

Yeah, and I do like Bruce Willis. You know, I'm not a super big Morgan Freeman fan. Oh, really? I know.

SPEAKER_00 9:15

Oh, I didn't I didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Uh Stanley Tucci, though. I've seen him in so many different things. He's so fantastic. He he can tell us.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

He can slide into different characters and roles and stuff.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Yeah, he's yeah, you never really know. Like, is he all good? Is he all bad?

SPEAKER_00 9:35

Right, you know, because I've seen him but he does it a lot. And if you think about it, for it's like where he's like either, you know, he starts off, you're like, oh, he's the good guy, and then you find I'm like, well, not really. Not really.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

And but you know, but I've seen him in like total bad.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

And he has got the the whole the eyes, the face, the whole thing. It's like, oh yeah, he's bad. Yeah. But then I've seen him be a real nice guy. You know, like so. The guy is very talented, and I do do enjoy his acting, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

For my favorite parts of this are with uh Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu. Yeah. I I love it.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

You love all that bantered words.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

I love their chemistry together. I love their banter.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

Yeah, it's and it's surprising. Um but yeah, it I think they they did a really good job, and I think it must have been good material too. Well, uh, you know, writing. Good writing.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

I mean, they have this whole massive conversation about James Bond in the middle of it. Yeah, that's weird.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

I I I was thinking to Mugle, oh, he loved you love that part. You like that.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

And then when they both they were like both trying to say they were favorite bonds at the same time, and they intentionally said that they intentionally said the wrong ones that weren't their favorites.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

It was weird. It was it was it was kind of funny. Yeah, it was cute. Yeah. So uh but yeah, I like that relationship and I'm glad. Yeah, and you know, in in the end, it it kind of you kind of feel satisfied at the end, even though, you know, oh my god. Long time to get long time to get to the end with for the characters, that's for sure. So but yeah, it's it's uh it it it is interesting, very good acting. Uh the what what was with uh the wiping it off and wiping it on with the camera all the time? You know you're on one side and then they wipe it off and then you're on the other side, but you're still and sometimes I was thinking, oh, am I gonna be in a different room now? You know, no, it's the same room. We're just doing that a lot, a lot of that. I I I was like, uh that's a purposeful choice.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

Well, it is you know it's one of the yeah, it's the same as a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

I didn't understand kind of why. Why why are you showing us this this way and that way? And you know, like in the camera email, like through the glass table, through the the chip glass chest set to the and it's like a lot of interesting choices as far as camera angles and that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

It it kind of almost seems like they get it, they got into the room and they were like, okay, what are all the different possibilities that we can do? Yeah. And it's like we don't want you, we don't want just straight on, we don't want boring, you know, find something interesting.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Excuse me, what's what's with the what's with the color palette on the walls all over the place? It was the different colors and the pink. It's so wild. It's so like, are we in the 70s?

SPEAKER_00 12:32

It's straight 70s. It's all it's so it's so wall 70s wallpaper all over the place. I mean, you know, even the bed spread was like you know, the weird and you know, it's just like the most extreme one is when he's in his fake flashback and he walks in on his girlfriend cheating on him. Yeah. Did you see her her place? It's all black and white striped throughout the whole thing. This weird pattern. And then yeah, it goes down the hallway and it's still black and white, but now it's kind of like a swirl to it.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Uh-huh. And it's like building had it had the, you know, like it was supposed to be Fisher's.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

Yeah, that hallway was weird. Uh-huh. Behind the rabbi was weird. It was, you know, all these colors and the shelves, and it was like, what? And it I don't know who designed this. I mean, they had a ball. It didn't take away from it too much, but it was super interesting. And some of it was like messing with my my eyes. It was like, whoa, baby.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

It it definitely gave everybody a distinctive look for like where they're at. But it for me, it's it's one of those where it's like you give a distinctive look that kind of complements that character. Yeah. And for me, these these looks weren't really like complimenting them. They were just different, they were just interesting.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

This is your look, and this is this look, this is yeah. Yeah. It is it was interesting choices. Right. Lots of detail, lots of detail going on.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Yeah, detail all over the place.

SPEAKER_01 14:07

I mean, it was everywhere from the ceiling to the floor to the walls. I mean, everything.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

One one little detail that I always find interesting on this is that when he goes to go meet the boss, he rides up in the elevator. There's a guy that's stationed on top of the elevator car.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

And I was like, it's such a weird.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Yeah, I had to like think twice what am I looking at? Yeah. Yeah. So it, yeah, there was there was a lot of like unusual choices.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Yeah. And especially because the guy's up there, he's got a a desk, he's got his coffee cup, he's got his chair, and it's like you're riding on top of an elevator car.

unknown 14:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

And I was just like Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

Yeah. Some of it was like, oh, okay. Yeah. But um, yeah, so that there was definitely a lot of, but I I really got I I I gotta say, I got a little tired of the wiping off and wiping off coming from one side to the other. Yeah, and here I am rocking back and forth in front of it. Keeping up with it. But that's what it kind of it was like, okay, I get that sometimes, right? But there was a lot of it in this. So I think it if if they could have taken a little bit of that out, um it w after a while it just kind of got distracting. Well, and like you said, they weren't it wasn't used as a transition in between no, like they're telling a story and they're wiping it away, and then you're gonna be, you know, seeing something else or somewhere else or something like that. No, there's just uh the wiping off and on.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

And then you do the it was the the three-way multiples that they had going that were two in one conversation, two in a different conversation, but it's the same conversation just being repeated.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

And it's one of those where it's like, that's uh okay, it's an interesting way of of doing that one.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

So a lot a lot of uh unusual, interesting things that I've never really seen in another film.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Yeah, they that yeah, they kind of they kind of uh just kind of went down some creative artistic kind of paths and on the on the shots and stuff. So it's it's yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

But it's again, it's one it's a film that I know there's killing in it, but I don't I I don't think of that initi initially. Like because for me I'm thinking of like the funny conversations and like all the all the the little give and takes. Until until we got to Josh Hardnett and Lucy Lou.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

Okay, okay. I like that. I like that. But uh up until that point, uh I'm not feeling the funny.

SPEAKER_00 16:51

Uh and I and I felt I felt you feeling that.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

And I was like, I was like, is it gonna all be like are they gonna just be killing each other?

SPEAKER_00 17:00

That's why I was like, you gotta go. Well, and then you got the goons that come up, and then it's like, and they're kind of ridiculous. They're so they're so like, I mean, they're almost like Muppet characters. Like Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

It's just like what?

SPEAKER_00 17:15

Yeah, yeah. And one of the goons um that was for the rabbi, yeah, did you recognize him, the bald guy?

SPEAKER_01 17:23

From This Is Where I Leave You.

SPEAKER_00 17:26

There you go. Uh huh.

SPEAKER_01 17:27

Yeah, I kind of look at him a little bit because he was a little scruffy.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

Well, and he was he's quite a bit younger in this film than he was in the actor's name.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

Apologize for that.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Right.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

No, I I can't think of it either, but it was like as soon as he popped up, I was like, oh that's but I did actually yeah, I did, I did recognize him. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

There was it was a lot of that for this. Um there was the guy in the truck um for the um for the cops. Um that I've seen he was in um identity. Um he's the he's the the actual guy that was actually in the in the mental in the mental hospital, the guy that who I actually has everybody playing in his head.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:07

He's he's one of the guys in the in the cop in the cop truck.

SPEAKER_01 18:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

So it yeah, so it's one of those where it's just like, hey, I know that phase. I've seen him around.

SPEAKER_01 18:16

They did I mean they did very very well with the casting.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

They did very, very well with that. So that was good.

SPEAKER_00 18:23

The one that I don't recognize at all, and I don't know if I've ever seen him before. I might if I look hard, obviously, but it was um the guy who played um Yitzhok, the the rabbi's son.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

Oh, yeah, I think I recognized him, but I you know I just didn't see him long enough.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

You know, yeah, he had a pretty small part for the film, that's for sure. Yeah, but yeah, I but yeah, he's the one that was like um like I if I looked up his IMDB I might find like other stuff he's done.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

I think I would too because it was like he almost looks familiar, but not quite.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

Yeah, yeah. Kind of yeah, just got one of those faces. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Michael Rubinfeld.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

Oh yeah. As we as I've got it.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

As I've got it paused right now. Right there. There's his name.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

There we go. There you go.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

But yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

But yeah, it's it's it's one where it's like the cast is just huge. I mean, it's so many casts.

SPEAKER_01 19:16

Okay, but here's my thing.

SPEAKER_00 19:18

Go for it.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

How many women are in this film?

SPEAKER_00 19:22

Uh there's Lucy Lu.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

The mother. The mother, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:29

Um, yeah. No, that's it. And it's not like those two women are ever gonna be in a scene together either in this film because it's you know the way the story is. Totally different timeline. Yeah, exactly. It's not a lot a lot of, you know, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. A lot of guys with guns.

SPEAKER_00 19:54

Lots lots of dudes.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

So just saying. Just saying.

SPEAKER_00 19:58

It's a dude heavy film.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

It is yeah, it definitely is dude heavy.

SPEAKER_00 20:03

Well, I mean, and it's one of those where it's like you could you could have had one of the other characters be a woman and not have it.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

It could there could have been a woman cop. Yeah, you know, easily that's easy to slip in.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

Even even the b even like the boss or the rabbi, um, because there are women rabbis, you know, it's like you didn't even have to change the you know the name of the character.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

Right. And it's like yeah, yeah, could have been. It could have been.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

Yeah, so either one of those could be.

SPEAKER_01 20:30

Yeah, but considering the year that it was made, it was still uh these cards.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

Well, they should have had a woman be one of the goons to come over and then have him have her rough up Josh Hartner. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Have it have a uh, you know, like a like an MMA fighter, like you know, kind of it like she just like comes in just bum just or does someone who's who doesn't who doesn't even look like she could hurt you and then she does and then she does bad.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

There you go.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I mean that there's so many different different uh different ways that you could take it and stuff.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

But yeah, but it's I don't know. I just had to bring that up a little bit. I gotcha. I just kind of noticed that. So anyway, okay. But yeah, I I did enjoy it. It was very interesting. Yeah, it was a good choice. You did good. I did it. I tried to do good.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

I tried to do good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

You did very well.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

And I I was concerned at the beginning as well with you because I was just like, Yeah, because I I mean, I'm like, I know the backs the beginning and the backstory and stuff, and I'm just like, oh that's right, there's a lot of killing. Okay, okay, we've got to get it.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

And then we'll get to the the other parts.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

Okay, yeah, yeah. Just get to the funny. We've gotta get to the funny, you know.

SPEAKER_01 21:45

Yeah, and and the funny wasn't, I mean, it was funny, but I think it just made it that's when it got interesting.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

Before that, it would it I would really wasn't that interested. I didn't underst I didn't understand. Well, I understood some of it, but it really just didn't get interesting until then. Yeah for me.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

And and for me the comedy in this is it's conversational comedy, and it's like what comes up natural, like when people talk, you know, it's like you know, you say something and somebody says a quick whip, you know, back off of what you said, and you know, back and forth, and you know, and stuff. So for me, it's like it all feels very, very natural, and it's not not like a lot of heavy, like really, you know, slap down comedy jokes, but it's it's just those quick whips that I that's what I really like about that. And so but then it goes back to the a good script. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:37

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:38

There you go. Yeah, so well, I am go I'm glad I picked one you like.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

Yes, you did very well.

SPEAKER_00 22:45

Excellent, excellent. All right, should we go and wrap this up?

SPEAKER_01 22:50

I think so.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

Alrighty. Well, thank you everybody for listening. Make sure you guys go check out Lucky Number Slevin. Until next time, I'm Barry.

SPEAKER_01 22:57

And I'm Robin.

SPEAKER_00 22:58

And we will talk to you guys later.