The grifter movie, having had several makeovers in recent years, reaches a level of unprecedented enjoyment and excitement in "Seven Times Lucky," an absolute knockout of a feature debut by writer-director G.B. Yates. It isn't just that Yates' yarn is suitably intricate, or that the filmmaking package is superbly crafted in every department, but that a full cinematic vision is created with a wonderful set of characters resonating long after the closing credits. Canuck production has pre-sold to Canadian distrib Alliance Atlantis, and Stateside pickup should be a no-brainer for solid commercial play.

Savvy casting of Kevin Pollak, as a hard-luck con man and delivery guy for mob bosses who gets in over his head, is reminiscent of "The Usual Suspects." "Lucky," however, is more closely tied to film noir tradition and to the grifter sub-genre, and is less self-consciously clever for its own sake than that Bryan Singer film.

Harlan (Pollak) stirs from bed to play a phone tip on a horse race -- which, of course, he loses. He appears to be considerably luckier when joining forces with raven-haired Fiona (Liane Balaban), teaming up to pull clever ATM ripoffs of unsuspecting victims.

Harlan owes local boss Dutch (James Tolkan) the cash he lost on his bad bet, just as Sonny (Jonas Chernick) is in debt to Native American godfather Mr. Five Wounds (Gordon Tootoosis), who makes Sonny pay painfully for his bad behavior. Ever the hustler, Sonny sells Harlan on a grift involving some pricey watches, and volatile Sacco (Aleks Paunovic) joins them for the job.

Harlan's life is further complicated by his delivery duties for Eddie (Babz Chula), a snazzy-looking tough gal. Eager to make her upcoming deal for a very pricey violin come off hitch-free, Eddie keeps Harlan on a short leash, suspicious of his weakness for the races and his penchant for letting cash slip through his fingers.

The way the first grift is pulled off -- and then plays out in unexpected ways, with twists too numerous to detail -- is well-written commercial moviemaking at its best. On a separate but affecting track is the sadly unfulfilled relationship between Harlan and Fiona, who, under different circumstances, might be a couple; here, Fiona is an even wilier and deceptive grifter than Harlan, and a lot more deceitful.

Old genre chestnuts, from false first appearances and a hero with a slim-and-none chance of survival to schemes-within-schemes, are staged with energy and attention to detail. The powerfully timed, ultra-sharp editing by Robert Lower and Brad Caslor moves the action along at a snappy clip, then manages to slow down at just the right moment for breathers and even a few glorious reveries.

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