Red (Luke Bracey) is a safe cracker who gets out of prison on parole after doing two years for a heist he and his crew pulled a few years back that ended up with one of them dead and Red being captured. He wants nothing more than to return home to his French wife Chloe (Nina Dobrev) and his young daughter. He still has several hundred thousands of dollars’ worth of untraceable bonds hidden away from that robbery and he plans on using it to take care of his struggling family. Meanwhile, a “French” assassin named Luc (Crispin Glover) has arrived in town and he’s looking for Red. He wants Red’s blood. This doesn’t hinder him from taking care of some other business while he’s in town, dealing with an embezzling bartender/front for his shady business, as well as dispatching anyone who gets in his way. Luc is a psychopath and he is filled with vengeance. Eventually, the two men clash, with Red’s family stuck between them. Can Red save his wife and child, or will Luc finally have his revenge?
Writer/Director Roger Avary helmed this film, a return to making movies from the man who co-wrote Pulp Fiction, wrote and directed Killing Zoe and Rules of Attraction, and has written a few other things here and there as well. Avary tells this story very much in the style of Pulp Fiction, given its whimsical look at the criminal life, all couched inside the story structure of a fairy tale. Lucky Day is a fun movie, with lots of humor, witty dialogue, bloody violence, and characters you really care about. When Red and his family get into trouble, it’s almost torturous to watch them try and get away, all the while pursued by a killer in Luc who is at once very Anton-Chigurh-No-Country-For-Old-Men crazy and surprisingly funny as well. There are moments of magic in this movie and it certainly is a welcome return by a great writer and director who has a unique voice. I would liken it mostly to what Guy Ritchie does, only Avary did it first, of course. My only quibble with the film is all the CGI blood and explosions and fire. I’m sure this was done for budgetary purposes but sometimes it looks really, really fake, and it took me out of the movie for a few seconds at a time. Other than that, this one is a true winner.
If you like crime flicks with lots of style and wit, brimming with humor and action, that race along like a getaway car after a bank robbery, you’ve found a new movie to love. Lucky Day has a great story, wonderful characters, and plenty of stuff going on to keep you interested. It is also surprisingly heartwarming. Did I mention the fairy tale aspect? Yeah, it’s got that going on, too (you can hear the echoes of True Romance dancing in the background). Check it out, streaming on Hulu.
★★★☆