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'Lucky Number Slevin' tries too hard

With so little cleverness in movies these days, it might be obnoxious to complain about a film with too much. But that's the biggest problem with "Lucky Number Slevin," a crime flick so impressed with itself that it doesn't need your approval one bit.

The Weinstein Company 'Lucky Number Slevin' 2 out of 5 stars The verdict: Crime thriller features Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu and a few too many plot contrivances. Director: Paul McGuigan Starring: Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman Run time: 110 minutes Release date: April 7, 2006 Rating: R for strong violence, sexuality and language. See showtimes Meet the director Scottish director Paul McGuigan says he was astonished to attract Oscar winners Ben Kingsley and Morgan Freeman to star in his movie. On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'Lucky Number Slevin'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

A mishmash of influences are in evidence here, from the wannabe-Tarantino conversation about James Bond to the not-exactly-"Usual Suspects"-level plot twists, all delivered with a self-consciousness that keeps the audience from relaxing into what could have been a much more entertaining film.

John Hartnett's Slevin is at the heart of a mistaken identity plot that (as characters point out, lest we think anything here is original) rivals "North By Northwest" for frustration value. Arriving in New York after a run of bad luck, he is mistaken for a man who owes a lot of money to two rival gangsters.

In one of many gimmicks that surely sounded inspired when they popped into screenwriter Jason Smilovic's head — but should have been rationed out instead of thrown into the same story — the kingpins live across the street from each other in identical fortresses, staring each other down behind bulletproof glass but unable to wander outside for fear of assassination.

Slevin is told by one of the gangsters, Morgan Freeman, that his debt will be erased if he kills the other's son. Freeman's rival is "The Rabbi," a contrived character who supposedly is both holy man and sinner; it's a perfect role for the scenery-chomping Ben Kingsley, who probably should have retired his bad-guy jersey after "Sexy Beast."

When not being coerced into becoming a hit man, Slevin starts up a cute romance with Lucy Liu, almost the only actor here who manages — diving in innocently and clearly enjoying herself — not to look silly when delivering the film's dialogue, which is nearly as artificial as the over-the-top set decoration. Her buoyancy is countered by a stone-faced Bruce Willis, who lurks in the shadows playing one villain against the other, "Yojimbo"-style. (He played this role before, in "Last Man Standing.")

Somewhere amid all the wallpaper and stylized killing, things prove not to be what they seem. If anybody is surprised by that, they must have slept through the past decade of crime cinema.