Seven Times Lucky (2004)

Director:

Gary Yates

Writer:

Gary Yates (writer)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

You only con the ones you love.

Plot:

An aging con-man and a beautiful, ambitious student cross paths in a scam that promises to make them both rich.

Plot Keywords:

Con | Night | Safe | Pawnbroker | Cash

Awards:

4 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Kevin Pollak	...	Harlan
Liane Balaban	...	Fiona
Jonas Chernick	...	Sonny
James Tolkan	...	Dutch
Aleks Paunovic	...	Sacco
Babs Chula	...	Eddie
Gordon Tootoosis	...	Mr. Five Wounds
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Anniko	...	Bartender
Mike Bell
Ryan Rajendra Black	...	Five Wounds "Nephew" (as Ryan Black)
John Bluethner	...	Francois
Paul Christie	...	Police Officer
Allan Wallace Dunkeld	...	Hooded Thief
Ernesto Griffith	...	Kurt the Dealer
Robert Huculak	...	Lanky Gambler
Bong-hwan Kim	...	Violin Appraiser
Joy Lazo	...	Mrs.Phatt (Cigarette Woman)
John Maclaren	...	Spunky
Spencer Maybee	...	Johnny Fetus
Laura Jayne McDonald	...	Finch
Wayne Nicklas	...	Lester (Man in Bar)
Talia Pura	...	VLT Junkie
David Robertson	...	Old Con Cedric
Des Solvason	...	Motel Caretaker
Ray Solvason	...	Bookie
Michael Sutherland	...	Frankie
Leonard Waldner	...	Jacob

Also Known As:

Sept fois la chance (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

85 min | USA:82 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Spain:18 | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Company:

Buffalo Gal Pictures

Trivia:

There is purposely no discernible timeframe for the movie. There are '70s and '80s cars and rotary dial phones coupled with the latest cellphones.

Seven Times Too Many?

One word sums this film up: average. It's a very average film, with nothing special about it whatsoever. The inherent problem in this film: too many twists and turns. Every second scene has a new twist, and there are so many that the film loses its sense of purpose. Yates tries to be so clever with all of the plot twists and turns, but there are so many red herrings and cons within cons that it's just overwhelming - and falls beyond the zone of believability. This film is trying too hard to be a classic noir, and the director can't decide whether he wants to be John Huston or Guy Ritchie. The only problem is, his script is nowhere near as sharp as the Maltese Falcon, his visuals nowhere near as crisp and noir as Huston, and he doesn't have any of the humour of Ritchie.

And Pollack is no Bogart, Balaban no Bacall or Mary Astor. And the characterization is faulty - aside from Pollack's character (Harlan Jr.), the other characters simply don't stay true to form - they change throughout the film in ways that aren't just unexpected, but uncharacteristic. As well, Pollack simply isn't believable as the kind of character he's playing. His character is too genuine, too naive - and the way he ends the film (no, I won't spoil it) is a stretch. Yates is borrowing more than a little bit from Miller's Crossing, but Pollack is no Gaberiel Byrne - and he's also far from a Bogart or Fred MacMurray.

As well, the middle sags horribly. From the frenzied pace of the beginning to the frenetic pace of the end, we have this slow and dreary interlude with a 'romantic' aspect that perhaps wants to be a red herring, but just feels false, shallow and out of place.

As far as Canadian film goes, however - at least non-Quebecois Canadian film - this is a pretty solid one. Which doesn't say too much about Canadian film. We certainly have a lot to learn about film-making, but there are always moments where I feel that we're heading in the right direction. Not the best Canadian film I've seen, but nowhere near the worst, its flaws aren't serious enough to make you want to stop watching.

In the end, this film tries very hard and brings forth some interesting and quirky characters, but falls short of its potential.Yates has something interesting going here, and he shows bright promise, but he needs to tighten up his script and gain a better understanding of film - especially film noir - before he can near that potential. Yates will get better, but he needs to take a step back and examine himself and his work first. 6/10.