GLENN KENNY'S MOVIE REVIEW (posted 4/5/06)


I never thought I'd say this, but I feel kind of sorry for Josh Hartnett. His stolid hunkiness and, shall we say, minimal approach to expressiveness have made him something of a joke among some of my colleagues, but doesn't anybody remember how striking he was in The Virgin Suicides? Surely there must be something the guy's good for. Unfortunately, he and his people haven't been able to find what they call the right vehicle. Now he's the lead in Lucky Number Slevin, evidence that Weinstein Co. honchos Bob and Harvey are chasing some of the old Pulp Fiction magic—and failing not only miserably, but kind of disgustingly.

Director Paul McGuigan, who worked with Hartnett on the similarly showy thriller Wicker Park, uses a 20-gallon Hefty bag of other moviemakers' tricks on the ridiculous reverse-constructed revenger script by Jason Smilovic. A name cast —Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, and Bruce Willis, among them—professionally deliver their shticks while McGuigan and Smilovic smack the audience around with all manner of violence and “plot twists,” finally delivering the sentimental hash they know is required of them. All the while Hartnett stands around looking reasonably capable and not doing much of anything. —Glenn Kenny

Related Links:
Behind the Scenes Photo Shoot of Josh Hartnett.
Sundance Photo gallery of Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu and more...