I have no idea what prompted me to add
The Lucky Man (2018) to my Netflix list. It is the story of a coke-snorting, hard drinking young preacher and the love of his life, who travel from town to town in the southwest, attracting believers who fill the collection plate. Despite his faults, the rev is sincere and talented, and soon discovers his talent for healing is genuine. The odyssey includes robberies and killings. Does the scenario strain credulity? Only in the aspect of healing, and no more overall than most fare. I was not bothered by the idea that a good girl would follow and love such a man, as dumb as it is. There are many examples of that in life. Nor was I skeptical when she commits the ultimate sin. His influence would eventually rub off on her.
Sympathy for the Devil should have been on the soundtrack. It seems writer/director Norman Gregory McGuire strictly subscribes to Mick Jagger's voicing of Lucifer's: "... Just as every cop is a criminal/ And all the sinners saints..." Certainly, all humans are capable of despicable behavior, but murder is rare, not universal. According to quora.com, outside of serial killers, in 2013 0.0046% of Americans were murderers. The Ted Bundy's up the ratio another one-percent. Yes, I understand that writers focus on the most interesting people, who are often the most reprehensible, but the message here, if I'm understanding it correctly, is "There but for the grace of God go I," which has become one of liberalism's mantras. Throughout the narrative, there are flashbacks of the abuse the protagonist suffered at his father's hand. As an explanation of the most violent behavior, it's an insult to the overwhelming majority of those who grew up in similar circumstances and never murdered anyone. Despite the flaws, the film is not without merit. I was unfamiliar with the principals. The appropriately named Jesse James, who has extensive credits, is very good in the lead. Mariana Paolo Vincente is alluring as the girl, and the supporting cast, none of whom I recognized, smacked of authenticity, as did the location shooting. 1600+ users at IMDb have rated
The Lucky Man, forging to a consensus of 5.8 on a scale of ten, too high in my opinion. In fairness, the flick did receive three independent awards, one each for direction, writing and James' performance. Made on a budget of only one million, it returned only $25,000+ at the box office. The financial gap has probably been closed somewhat by DVD sales and rentals, and streaming. It was only McGuire's second full length feature, the other being an obscure horror movie. Given his willingness to take on a serious theme, it would not be surprising if he comes up with something better next time. Here are the leads in character:
Another gorgeous January day led to a full session of the floating book shop. My thanks to the woman who bought
Night Shift, a collection of Stephen King short stories; and to the gentleman who purchased Jeffrey Deaver's
Garden of Beasts; and to the couple who chose a book in Russian. I, too, am a lucky man.
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