Lucky Strike: Lurie’s Story of American Service and Survival

Today, it would be a scandal if the government supplied cigarettes to our troops, but during WWII, they were staples of K and C ration packages. At the time, the government and military figured they might as well give the soldiers fighting for democracy what they wanted, instead of telling them how to live. Can you imagine? Consequently, the Lucky Strike company played up its connection to the troops with its “Lucky Strike Green has gone to war” campaign. Indeed, Captain Castle goes through Hell with his brand of choice in Rod Lurie’s Lucky Strike, which is still playing in theaters.

The opening prologue fully and shockingly establishes the brutality of the Waffen-SS and the constant specter of death hovering over Allied troops during the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortunately, that is exactly the sort danger Castle must brave with his squad. Their orders are simple. Block a vital road to prevent German troop advances. The execution will be a you-know-what show. In fact, Captain Castle will be the mission’s sole survivor, unless you also count “Lassie,” the squad’s trusty Motorola SCR-300 radio, so-nicknamed for its reliability. As the voice from HQ tells him, Lassie will be his lifeline, until he reaches the extraction point, so he’d better protect it.

Getting to the rally spot will be a harrowing journey, as the older Col. Castle explains years after the fact to the somewhat confused Mrs. Caldwell. For reasons that are not immediately clear, he invited himself in and started chronicling his harrowing tale of survival. However, she will indulge him for a while, out of respect, since she also lost her son, a member of the 761^st Tank Battalion, during the Battle of the Bulge.

Lurie happens to be a Westpoint graduate, which gives viewers confidence he will treat his Army characters with the respect they deserve. Indeed, he and military advisor Jariko Denman (a fifteen-year-plus Ranger combat veteran) realized the warfighting scenes with a very high degree of historical accuracy, including the use of vintage tanks and vehicles that were authentic to the combat in the Ardennes. To his credit, Lurie skillfully stages battle scenes that are confusing and disorienting, in a deliberate, realistic kind of way.

Honestly, Scott Eastwood’s resemblance to his famous father does not hurt either. The elder Eastwood never really gets credit for his off-kilter charisma. The younger Eastwood shows similar idiosyncratic charm in his scenes with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who also really helps ground the film as the skeptical but hospitable Mrs. Caldwell. They nicely build towards Lurie’s unconventional twist. Apparently, a lot of cynical critics hated it, but most Americans intending to enjoy our 250^th will appreciate its edifying implications.

Indeed, this film ought to still be playing in more theaters, because it would be a good second choice today, after Young Washington. Lucky Strike is also vastly superior to many of the recent big budget releases, most definitely including Supergirl and Disclosure Day. It makes it clear why we had to fight and how much was demanded from average soldiers and junior officers like Castle. It is a tough film that might make some viewers uncomfortable, but it faithfully represents the realities of war about as well as any movie. Highly recommended, Lucky Strike is still showing at limited times at the AMC Empire in New York. Happy Fourth of July.