Film Review: ‘Lucky Strike’ is a Propulsive World War II Survival Tale

If there’s one villain who audiences will always love to see get their comeuppance on the big screen, it’s the Nazis. As such, a World War II film has the ability to be both fun and serious, as the weight of the war can be honored, all while showing a despicable enemy getting dispatched. Rod Davis Lurie knows that and uses it to his advantage in Lucky Strike, a propulsive and well crafted WWII survival tale. He shows you the worst of the worst in the SS and lets our hero take them down. It all adds up to a very satisfying throwback flick.

Lucky Strike is a movie that’s always moving forward, mirroring the way the protagonist has to in order to survive. At about 102 minutes, there’s consistent momentum, outside of a bookend sequence that initially feels a little superfluous, but ends up with a very nice coda. We don’t get this sort of straightforward action drama much anymore, and that does help set it apart a bit. Plus, Lurie is always such an interesting filmmaker, getting to see him make his war flick (well, second after The Outpost, though this is more keeping in the classical sense) is an added bonus.

Inspired by true events, the film takes place during the Battle of the Bulge. After an introduction that sees a truck full of American soldiers slaughtered by the SS, we meet Colonel Castle (Scott Eastwood) as he visits the home of Mrs. Caldwell (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), a retired factory worker. The how and why of that meeting become clear at the end, but after that, we flash back on Castle’s time in WWII.

As the last major German offensive of the war rages, Castle is ordered on a mission by Colonel Neale (Colin Hanks) to take his engineering division out and blow up some roads. As his men attempt to slow down the Nazis, they’re ambushed by the SS, with Castle the only survivor. Trapped behind enemy lines and wounded, Castle is armed only with his Motorola SCR-300 radio, which is a new technology at that point and only approved for use in battle near the end of the war. With an advancing Nazi Panzer division on his tail, it’ll be up to his complete set of skills in order to make it home alive. 

Scott Eastwood gets a real star showcase here and turns in a focused performance, full of intensity. There are stretches where he’s the only one on the screen, so the film is very much in his hands. The drive and determination to survive, as well as the wit and cunning to do so, are in full force. Eastwood turned in nice work with Lurie previously in The Outpost and does so again here. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Colin Hanks have supporting parts that give them small showcases, while the rest of the cast includes Taylor John Smith, amongst others.

Co-writer/director Rod Davis Lurie crafts his most visual work yet. Alongside co-writer Mark Frydman, Lurie keeps the fairly straightforward plot easy to follow, allowing his direction, as well as Eastwood’s work, to shine through. There are some flourishes with the camera here that are very impressive. Lurie has always had terrific scripts to his films, especially something like The Contender (as well as Nothing but the Truth, his most underrated movie), so this is him flexing a whole other muscle behind the camera.

Lucky Strike gives an audience exactly what they want to see. At a time where few things seem black and white anymore, an American soldier in World War II surviving and triumphing over the Nazis is the rare thing everyone can get behind. That Eastwood, Lurie, and company make it as effective and rugged as it is ends up just being icing on the cake.

SCORE: ★★★1/2