One of the best films of 2006 is Lucky Number Slevin.
Technically, "Lucky Number Slevin" is a fine transfer. Other than the very detailed and complex wallpaper patterns, I could hardly find a flaw in the image quality. Colors are vivid and cover the full spectrum of the rainbow. Contrast is spot on. The filmmakers strived to make this film look very good, but keep us off kilter with certain visuals (wallpaper). From the very early moments to the final sequence, "Lucky Number Slevin" was solid. Most of the scenes in the film take place in well lit areas or in outdoor locations, but when the screen does darken, shadow detail and black levels are solid. Blacks are also very strong in certain patterns, but I´ve now beaten that horse to death. Now, why would I mention a dead horse? Watch the movie and find out.
Sound:
Sound for "Lucky Number Slevin" is a fine sounding film, though Genius Products did disappoint me slightly by not including a Dolby Digital TrueHD soundtrack. They have been doing so for other titles, but not this one. The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 mix for "Lucky Number Slevin" is a good one though. The musical score by J. Ralph is perfectly balanced with the rest of the soundtrack and helps drive the story. Much of the film is dialogue based, but when gunfire erupts or an explosion or two, the sound is deep and explosive. The rear surrounds come alive and the .1 LFE rumbles strongly. This is not a powerful or aggressive mix and for long periods of time, only the front three speakers have a job to do, but when the film calls for everybody to join in, all six channels sound superb. The sound, as was the case with the picture quality, is very clean and does more than justice for this little film. My only minor complaint was that the volume level seemed a slight bit low on vocals, which was nothing that a little juice didn´t correct on the volume control.
Extras:
Genius Products has been doing a commendable job on including value added content to their releases. "Lucky Number Slevin" is no "Clerks II" when it comes to bonus materials, but the items provided are worth checking out. Two commentary tracks are provided. The feature commentary with director Paul McGuigan is heavy on information pertaining to the making of the picture and even a little insight is given into the wallpaper. McGuigan goes silent for a few lengthy periods and sits back to enjoy his film, but this is a good technical track. The feature commentary with actors Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu, and writer Jason Smilovic finds the two actors laughing and enjoying themselves, but also finds aspects of the story revealed. The writer and the actors were recorded in different sessions and edited together Criterion style. Genius pre-empts each commentary selection with a menu-based warning that they are not responsible for anything the actors may say. This was clever, but isn´t a screen at startup more than adequate?
Aside from the commentary tracks, about an hours worth of features and scenes are included. Making Lucky Number Slevin (13:18) is shown in 1080i widescreen and is a typical EPK talking-heads feature. This is a nice summary of the commentaries, but nothing new is provided here. It does detail the difficulties in bringing the story to life. An intimate conversation with Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu (14:27) is stated to be only available on HD. It was way too short, but thanks to this film and this feature, I´ve become a bigger fan of Lucy Liu. She is a real sweetheart. For being only available in HD, the picture quality was not all that stunning. A Theatrical Trailer is tossed in, but also a number of Deleted Scenes and an Alternate Ending. These scenes are provided with optional commentary by the director and can be selected individually or via a "Play All" choice. They run for over twenty minutes and some are hilarious and show you certain events that were trimmed from the theatrical release. I found that I liked the theatrical ending far more than the alternate ending. I won´t spoil the movie, but it was disappointing. The additional scenes with Bruce Willis should have been left in the film.
Closing Comments:
"Lucky Number Slevin" was a highly entertaining film. I remember seeing the cast and thinking the story looked great. Unfortunately, after not being able to attend a viewing with a good friend, I missed the boat and had to wait for the home video release. Watching the film on HD-DVD was a real treat, as this good story and great characters come to life in vivid high definition with a detailed and colorful picture. Sound is good, but this isn´t the kind of movie meant to annoy the neighbors or rattle a tooth filling loose. I loved the story and all of the little twists and turns it makes. Lucy Liu has won my heart with her performance. I never viewed her as the "Cute Girl Next Door" type, but she nailed it to a T. The rest of the cast is good and Josh Hartnett impressed. Bruce Willis plays such a great professional hitman. I didn´t expect the ending I received and one of the faux endings angered me, but the film played out as it should have in the end. "Lucky Number Slevin" is a film that has been missed by many and I think a lot of critics saw a different film. My opinions, but please do yourself a favor and find out on your own if you agree with me.
Sound:
Sound for "Lucky Number Slevin" is a fine sounding film, though Genius Products did disappoint me slightly by not including a Dolby Digital TrueHD soundtrack. They have been doing so for other titles, but not this one. The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 mix for "Lucky Number Slevin" is a good one though. The musical score by J. Ralph is perfectly balanced with the rest of the soundtrack and helps drive the story. Much of the film is dialogue based, but when gunfire erupts or an explosion or two, the sound is deep and explosive. The rear surrounds come alive and the .1 LFE rumbles strongly. This is not a powerful or aggressive mix and for long periods of time, only the front three speakers have a job to do, but when the film calls for everybody to join in, all six channels sound superb. The sound, as was the case with the picture quality, is very clean and does more than justice for this little film. My only minor complaint was that the volume level seemed a slight bit low on vocals, which was nothing that a little juice didn´t correct on the volume control.
Extras:
Genius Products has been doing a commendable job on including value added content to their releases. "Lucky Number Slevin" is no "Clerks II" when it comes to bonus materials, but the items provided are worth checking out. Two commentary tracks are provided. The feature commentary with director Paul McGuigan is heavy on information pertaining to the making of the picture and even a little insight is given into the wallpaper. McGuigan goes silent for a few lengthy periods and sits back to enjoy his film, but this is a good technical track. The feature commentary with actors Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu, and writer Jason Smilovic finds the two actors laughing and enjoying themselves, but also finds aspects of the story revealed. The writer and the actors were recorded in different sessions and edited together Criterion style. Genius pre-empts each commentary selection with a menu-based warning that they are not responsible for anything the actors may say. This was clever, but isn´t a screen at startup more than adequate?
Aside from the commentary tracks, about an hours worth of features and scenes are included. Making Lucky Number Slevin (13:18) is shown in 1080i widescreen and is a typical EPK talking-heads feature. This is a nice summary of the commentaries, but nothing new is provided here. It does detail the difficulties in bringing the story to life. An intimate conversation with Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu (14:27) is stated to be only available on HD. It was way too short, but thanks to this film and this feature, I´ve become a bigger fan of Lucy Liu. She is a real sweetheart. For being only available in HD, the picture quality was not all that stunning. A Theatrical Trailer is tossed in, but also a number of Deleted Scenes and an Alternate Ending. These scenes are provided with optional commentary by the director and can be selected individually or via a "Play All" choice. They run for over twenty minutes and some are hilarious and show you certain events that were trimmed from the theatrical release. I found that I liked the theatrical ending far more than the alternate ending. I won´t spoil the movie, but it was disappointing. The additional scenes with Bruce Willis should have been left in the film.
Closing Comments:
"Lucky Number Slevin" was a highly entertaining film. I remember seeing the cast and thinking the story looked great. Unfortunately, after not being able to attend a viewing with a good friend, I missed the boat and had to wait for the home video release. Watching the film on HD-DVD was a real treat, as this good story and great characters come to life in vivid high definition with a detailed and colorful picture. Sound is good, but this isn´t the kind of movie meant to annoy the neighbors or rattle a tooth filling loose. I loved the story and all of the little twists and turns it makes. Lucy Liu has won my heart with her performance. I never viewed her as the "Cute Girl Next Door" type, but she nailed it to a T. The rest of the cast is good and Josh Hartnett impressed. Bruce Willis plays such a great professional hitman. I didn´t expect the ending I received and one of the faux endings angered me, but the film played out as it should have in the end. "Lucky Number Slevin" is a film that has been missed by many and I think a lot of critics saw a different film. My opinions, but please do yourself a favor and find out on your own if you agree with me.
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