Lucky Number Slevin (Paul McGuigan) (V): ***
McGuigan caught a lot of flak for ripping off Pulp Fiction with this gleefully audacious thriller, but first-time screenwriter Jason Smilovic’s dialogue is actually wittier than any of Tarantino’s. Unfortunately, its plot is also needlessly convoluted. Slevin starts out strong, I’ve gotta give it props for its key twist (even though you don’t see it coming, you do see it coming, right?), and there’s a pair of sterling performances here by Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu. Trouble is, once you find out where it’s going, it just goes there, predictably hurtling us toward its inevitable destination. C’mon, fellas… it’s s’posed to be about the journey, remember?
