Lucky Strike (2026)    Roadside Attractions/Action-Drama    RT: 102 minutes    Rated R (violence, some grisly images, language)    Director: Rod Lurie    Screenplay: Mark Frydman and Rod Lurie    Music: Larry Groupe    Cinematography: Lorenzo Senatore    Release date: June 26, 2026 (US)    Cast: Scott Eastwood, Colin Hanks, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Taylor John Smith, Lorne MacFadyen, Patrick Millin, Daniel Ray Rodriguez, Timothy Blore, Alexandra Vale, Atanas Srebrev, Isabella Rose, Jonathan Yunger, Caroline Piette, Scott Alda Coffey, Jake Lowe, Alfie Stewart, Reomy D Mpeho, Laurent Maurel, Hazel Rogers.

Rating: ***

 I get that Rod Lurie (The Last Castle) is going for a Saving Private Ryan-level film with his WWII drama Lucky Strike, but to me it feels more like a WWII-themed B-movie from the 70s (e.g. The Inglorious Bastards, Force 10 from Navarone). Despite a narrative framing device clearly designed to add gravitas to the proceedings, it lacks the strong emotional core of Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece. What’s left is a decent war actioner that plays out like a much less OTT version of Sisu.

 Scott Eastwood (The Fate of the Furious) plays John Castle, an American soldier trapped behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge circa 1944. He finds himself alone after his unit is wiped out by the Nazi Panzer Army. Armed only with a Motorola SCR-300 radio named “Lassie”, he must travel almost 30 kilometers through hostile territory to the extraction point. He kills a lot of Nazis along the way.

 Now let’s talk about the frame. When we first meet Castle, he’s calling on a woman (Taylor, Origin) whose son died during the war. She’s reluctant to talk to him. There’s a pending lawsuit of some kind. He decides to tell her his story. Now here’s the thing. We come to learn she plays a bigger role in the story than we’re initially led to believe. This is supposed to be the emotional aspect of Lucky Strike. It doesn’t work. If anything, it’s more of a reach.

 And now to answer a burning question I’m sure many of you have. What’s the meaning of the title Lucky Strike? It’s a brand of cigarettes, yes, but what has it to do with the movie? That’s interesting actually. So apparently it was a thing in the war to burn the brand logo on a cigarette when you smoke it. Why, you ask? It was for security. When the enemy finds the butts, they won’t know it’s an American brand and therefore can’t tell who was in the area. I didn’t know this. And who says movies aren’t educational? In any event, it plays a pivotal role down the line.

 The audience at last night’s AMC Screen Unseen didn’t seem to care for Lucky Strike. Reactions ranged from lukewarm to negative for the most part. I’ll grant that it’s not a cinematic masterwork. It’s cheap-looking despite its $20M budget. The dialogue isn’t especially well written. The acting isn’t particularly good either. It’s derivative of other war-themed movies like Saving Private Ryan, Inglorious Basterds, Sisu and Behind Enemy Lines. It seems to want to be a great importance, but it’s really not. Like I said, it has no emotional impact whatsoever.

 Now maybe I ought to clarify something. The opening titles inform us Lucky Strike is “inspired by true events”. It doesn’t tell the story of an individual. The screenplay by Lurie and Mark Frydman is based on the accounts of several soldiers who were trapped behind enemy lines in WWII. So basically, what you’re seeing might be true in part, but it’s largely fictionalized. Now you know.

 Scott Eastwood definitely looks like his dad Clint. So much that I keep imagining him starring in a Dirty Harry reboot (as Harry Callahan Jr.) that I hope never happens. As an actor, he’s okay. He’s fairly wooden in Lucky Strike which isn’t as bad as it sounds. The same can be said of lots of action stars. Even Clint struggled to break out of his trademark roles (DH and The Man with No Name). He eventually did. I think Scott will do the same. Speaking of celebrity sons, Colin Hanks (Nobody 2) co-stars as an Army officer who shows up for one scene. He offers Castle a few words of encouragement before making his exit. He too is looking more like his famous dad Tom as he gets older. He’s fine in his one scene. Taylor is similarly good in the film’s bookend scenes even if her character doesn’t have the intended effect.

 Now for a few positive words about Lucky Strike. It kept me entertained. I got pretty invested in Castle’s story as he fights his way through Nazis with few resources and no grasp of the local language (it’s set in Belgium). There’s a bit at the end where he encounters a fellow American soldier who may or may not be who he claims. I’ll just saw I saw it coming right away. It’s fine because Lucky Strike is still a reasonably gripping tale of survival in enemy territory. Also, I love B-movies and that’s definitely what this is.