The movie Lucky Day hits the screen this Friday and it’s nicely produced for the big screen. The very good acting carries the film, but outstanding direction by Roger Avary deserves the credit for this wild and wacky chiller. While it’s billed as a crime thriller the film’s more of an action comedy on a rollercoaster ride with a trail of death.
The film opens with Red (Luke Bracey) getting released from prison after serving two years for safe cracking. Returning home to his artist wife Chloe (Nina Dobrev) and 8-year-old daughter Beatrice “Bee” (Elia Ryan Quinn) is a happy reunion. On the same day, Luc (Crispin Glover) gets on a plane from France and arrives in the USA. Nicknamed the “terminator”, working for a crime syndicate it’s his job to “retire” people. But, although Red feels that this is his lucky day, Luc has come to make a mess of it.
Director Roger Avary who wrote the screenplay for Pulp Fiction with Quentin Tarantino spools out Lucy Day in a similar fashion and with the same intensity. His characters are very realistic and the cast he chooses fits them well. The action gets ferocious at times with the maniacal wielding of death by Luc, but as the story movies along its part of the jolts and pops that provides the shocks for the genre fans. Adding some surprising comedy to the film, it gives the viewer a chance to take a breath after each brutal or bloody scene.
Luke Bracey and Nina Dobrev do a very good job of portraying the “happy” couple who want to get back to their lives after Red’s jail stint. Nina just wants everything to go back the way it was when they had Bee and let bygones be bygones. She may look like she’s easy going, but don’t get between her and Bee as that’s when her anger changes her attitude. If you are a fan of the TV series “The Vampire Diaries”, Nina played Elna Gilbert/Katherine Pierce/Amara in 134 episodes.
Bracey shows how easy it is for Red to become irritated, especially if Nina or Bee are in danger. But, with him being under the thumb of Ernesto Sanchez (Clifton Collins Jr) his parole officer, he puts the anger issues aside. Bracey does a nice job as the guy who wants to get even and then finds there’s no time for revenge with Luc in town. Bracey’s has had a fairly good career with films like Hacksaw Ridge, Point Break and The November Man. If you are a TV fan of “Home and Away”, he played Trey Palmer in all 224 episodes.
Crispin Glover does a terrific job as the maniacal Luc who wants to kill Red in the worst way. But, don’t get in his trajectory or you’ll end up dead. He carries around an arsenal of weapons and uses every one of them creating havoc in the streets, bars and apartments. Red was responsible for his brother’s death, or so he thinks, but even if he wasn’t Red was on the scene at the time and deserves to die. He get a thrill out of blowing people away and even Chloe and Bee are targets for the fun of it. Glover has been around for some time appearing in Back to the Future as George Mcfly. You may have seen him as Andy Warhol in The Doors, Willard as Willard, a reoccurring role as Thin Man in the movie series Charles Angels, and in 17 episodes of TV’s “American Gods”.
Lucky Day has been R by the MPAA for bloody violence, language throughout, and sexual content. It also contains some drug use and brutality.
FINAL ANALYSIS: One of the better made action films this year. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Luke Bracey, Nina Dobrev, Crispin Glover
Directed and written by: Roger Avary
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller, Comedy
MPAA Rating: R for bloody violence, language throughout, and sexual content also drug use
Running Time: 1 hr. 39 min.
Opening Date: October 11, 2019
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Released in: Theaters and VOD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
