Red, a safe cracker who has just been released from prison, is trying to hold his family together as his past catches up with him in the form of Luc, a psychopathic contract killer who’s seeking revenge for the death of his brother.
Roger Avary was on a huge trajectory in the ’90s co-writing “Pulp Fiction” and directing the violent indie “Killing Zoe.” He had a public falling out with Quentin Tarantino over who had contributed the most to their Oscar-winning iconic film “Pulp Fiction.” Not too long afterward, Avary was involved in a fatal car crash and hasn’t made a film in years. I was excited to see that him return with “Lucky Day” an original crime thriller to add to his minimal but impressive resume.
“Lucky Day” opens on Red, (Luke Bracey) who’s nearing the end of his prison sentence, frantically exercising and reading letters from his daughter. His child Beatrice is told by his wife Chloe (Nina Dobrev) that her father is exploring the furthest reaches of outer space. While Red is getting out, a volatile French assassin named Luc (Crispin Glover) arrives at LAX. Some people call a cab or an Uber but Luc walks into a parking garage and slices a man’s throat, proceeding to steal the victim’s vintage yellow Chevrolet. The film is full of gory and bloody deaths, almost as if Avery is desperate to disturb the audience. I enjoy stylized violence when it’s framed creatively but “Lucky Day” feels too forced and unfunny.
The cast features some solid actors but they lack any substance or depth. Crispin Glover’s Luc is his most enjoyable role yet, his over embellishment of the French accent is quite annoying. Clifton Collins Jr. is the second best part of the film playing Red’s parole officer and sporting a wild hairdo and at least given a few witty lines.
I can see what Avery was attempting but ultimately, it’s such a mess. There’s a a scene in a bar that perfectly summarizes the overall feel of the screenplay: Luc enters a red neon-soaked dive bar with Lynch inspired surrealism with a woman onstage oddly dancing in her own world. Two low life criminals (a peculiar cameo from Marc Decascos) berate Luc until he kills them while his favorite French ballad blasts on the jukebox. One of the victims is decapitated by a shotgun and proceeds to dance while the blood pumps out of him. Just more failed attempts to shock and awe.
Maybe Tarantino has remained so popular and appealing by skewering genres in a somewhat-less juvenile manner and with the recent release of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” he’s shown some needed maturity. It’s a shame to see Avary return with this misfire because “Killing Zoe” showed so much potential with a strange premise centered on a bank robbery in Paris. I recommend trying your luck with another film.
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