Movie Review: ‘Lucky Strike’

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Review by Adam Courtliff

World War II movies are plentiful and rightfully so. They often retell some of the most miraculous true stories ever witnessed, in turn providing some of the most memorable sequences in cinematic history, particularly in titles such as Saving Private Ryan and Hacksaw Ridge. Sadly, that’s not the case for the latest World War II effort, Lucky Strike, which misses almost every target in a deeply forgettable outing for all involved.

Co-written and directed by Rod Lurie, Lucky Strike follows Captain Castle (Scott Eastwood) in the heart of Belgium in 1944 amidst an onslaught from the merciless SS. Castle, alongside a small team of engineers, is tasked with halting the advance of a brigade of Panzer tanks by destroying a road. The perilous mission proves far easier said than done, with Castle’s team all killed in action while the Captain is left wounded by a gunshot to the leg. Now alone and with no reinforcements in sight, Castle faces a treacherous 30km trek to the nearest friendly stronghold with only his Motorola SCR-300 for company.

Lucky Strike opens with the claim that the film is inspired by true events, but based on the script, just how loosely it has been inspired by those events is open to speculation. Between the amount of nonsensical decisions made by Castle and enemy soldiers alike, coupled with some farcical twists, it seems as though the Hollywood dramatisation of the story that inspired the film got out of hand very quickly.

The problems with Lucky Strike start almost immediately. The opening sequences are plagued with cringeworthy dialogue that continues whenever there is more than one person on screen. Thankfully, that is a rarity here, giving the audience a much-needed break from these awkward exchanges. That is aside from one scene involving Castle and, at the time, an unknown woman, which delivers the most artificial and manufactured moment in the entire film.

With Lucky Strike predominantly being a solo story centred on Captain Castle, the film required a demanding performance from Scott Eastwood that unfortunately is lacking in almost every department. Castle is put through hell and back, but judging by Eastwood’s performance and facial expressions, you would think he was out on a leisurely stroll. At no point does it feel like Castle is suffering, nor does he convey much in the way of emotion, which given the turmoil he is experiencing is quite frankly unbelievable.

While some of the action sequences and firefights that ensue are entertaining in places and relatively well shot compared to much of the film, there is a severe lack of any palpable tension. Instead, these moments come across as shoehorned in moments as the story continues to go through the motions, feeling more like a tick-box exercise than anything with genuine meaning or purpose.

For a World War II film to truly work, the cinematography needs to be immersive and transport audiences back in time. Sadly, this is yet another area where Lucky Strike falls short. Rather than delivering raw and gritty imagery, the digital presentation becomes painfully obvious very quickly, pulling audiences out of any immersion the film manages to build. Coupled with some genuinely poor CGI, it ensures Lucky Strike is often hard on the eyes.

The one person who will deservedly come out of Lucky Strike with their flowers is Yana Stoyanova, who heads up the make-up department. Some of the battle wounds on display are so incredibly realistic that they may make your stomach churn. One scene in particular involving the victim of a flamethrower stopped my audience in their tracks. It really was that convincing.
Overall, there is very little in Lucky Strike that is memorable or distinguishes it from any other World War II film you could stream online today. Ultimately, through a poor script and lacklustre acting, it falls into the trap of becoming incredibly generic and completely forgettable.