Lucky Strike

When "The Outpost" was released back in 2020 which starred Scott Eastwood and was directed by Rod Lurie as this film, "Lucky Strike" was also directed by Lurie and starred Eastwood, I thought this would be a movie worthy to see since "The Outpost" was gripping, and I was surely correct. 

Inspired by true events, "Lucky Strike" tells the story of one soldier, Col. John Castle (Scott Eastwood) trapped behind enemy lines during the last major German offensive during WWII, what will become known as The Battle of the Bulge. Armed only with his Motorola SCR-300 radio, a new technology only battle-ready near the end of the war, he must use his wits and spy craft to thwart the advancing Nazi Panzer army and find his way home. 

Others to round out the cast are Colin Hanks as Col. Neale, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Rose Caldwell, Taylor John Smith as Sgt. Bellingham, Kwane Patterson as Maren, Jonathan Yunger as Cash, Scott Alda Coffey as Averil, Jariko Denman as Top, Jake Lowe as Murphy, Alexandra Vale as Rebecca Castle, Alfie Stewart as Miller and Atanas Srebrev as Gen. Lauer. 

This was incredibly well directed with grit, suspense and pathos by Rod Davis Lurie ("Deterrence" '99, "The Contender" 2000, "The Last Castle" '01, "Resurrecting the Champ" '07, "I'm Paige Wilson" (TV movie) '07, "Speechless" (TV movie) '08, "Nothing But the Truth" '08, "Straw Dogs" '11, "The Surgeon General" (TV movie) '13, "Killing Reagan" (TV movie) '16, "Monsters of God" (TV movie) '17, "The Outpost" '20, "The Senior" '23) plus TV and shorts. Even though this filmmaker delves into many different subject matter, his comfort zone is obviously drama (whether intense or light). His sequencing is effective as is his staging. It was cleverly written by Rod Davis Lurie ("Deterrence" '99, "The Contender" 2000, "Capital City" (TV movie) '04, "I'm Paige Wilson"  (TV movie) '07, "Nothing But the Truth" '08, "Straw Dogs" '11, "Monsters of God" (TV movie) '17) plus TV and shorts, and Marc Frydman ("Black Butterfly" '17, "Last Seen Alive" '22). This, like other films, starts as a flashback with John Castle taking a soldier's mom, Rose Caldwell back to that time during The Battle of the Bulge and all that occurred between him and others and what was a grueling story. Obviously you knew Castle survives, hence he's telling the story, but this film wasn't about whether Castle makes it alive as much as how did he survive? This was written with pathos and passion, and the film was cohesive and concise in its conveyance. These writers will surely receive more work. 

If you are a war aficionado, or more to the point, a WWII history buff, this will hit a home run. We are becoming a society of forgetting our history, and films as these only reemphasize the importance of never forgetting our history lest we repeat it, as in the realm of wars, famines, diseases, etc. For this, the film is worthy of viewing, and the performance by Eastwood and direction by Lurie was exemplary.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                        Rated: R                                          103mins.