The Honor of an Absolute Lifetime: Rod Lurie on “Lucky Strike”

RogerEbert.com sits down with writer-director Rod Lurie to discuss his new film "Lucky Strike," based on the true story of an American soldier in World War II who is wounded behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and depends on the era's newest technology, a portable radio, to survive. Scott Eastwood stars, with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor in a key role. In the interview, Lurie discusses limiting the point of view to his protagonist through long, unbroken takes that create a first-person experience of combat, designing three distinct color palettes inspired by Melville's "Army of Shadows," how his West Point education shaped the film, and the role of communications technology in transforming the battlefield. The conversation turns personal as well. Lurie calls the premiere at the National Archives "the honor of an absolute lifetime," and says the approval of a 107-year-old veteran of the battle, who told him afterward "You got it right," carried special meaning. He closes by speaking about the death of his son and the promise he made to him: that from then on he would only pursue projects of real meaning and necessity.

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