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John Luke (Jean Dujardin), called "Lucky" because he survived a murderous attack by outlaws that killed both his parents, is sent to Daisy Town by the president (André Oumanski) to clean it up of any outlaws before the train tracks from the East and West are going to meet here in a great ceremony. And of course, at first, Luke does a great job, filling up prison after prison as he refuses to kill his opponent - and that despite of being the quickest draw and surest shot of the West. But then he meets Pat Poker (Daniel Prévost), a professional gambler with a few tricks up his sleeve who knows exactly which buttons to push to enrage Luke to meet him in a duel - where Luke shoots Poker dead, something that throws him into an existential crisis, and he decides to hang up his guns and lead a peaceful life with showgirl Belle (Alexandra Lamy). But life without a gun is dangerous for Lucky, as he has made too many enemies over the years. Sure, he has Calamity Jane (Sylvie Testud) to guard him because she's secretly in love with Luke, as well as his old enemies Billy the Kid (Michael Youn) and Jesse James (Melvil Poupaud), who want to kill Luke themselves so need to keep him alive until that day. And still, Luke's more a burden than anything else. Until he finds out that the bullets he has shot Pat Poker with were actually blanks replaced by none other than Belle, and that Pat Poker actually faked his own death. Thus he returns to Daisy town to this time clean up for real ...

Now one thing's for sure, the film looks great, all the actors look their parts, the whole thing has a comicbook feel to it and is as close to the comic it's based on as possible. But only in looks, in regards of story this seems like a post-modernist reinterpretation of the comics, putting central focus on things that are at best hinted at (that Luke doesn't shoot to kill - and there are exceptions in the comicbooks even) or omitted altogether (like Luke's origin story), and thus really catches fans off-guard. But that would be excusable even if the film was at least funny, and that's what Lucky Luke isn't at all. Most of the punchlines of the film are at best half-hearted, and too much time is spent with Luke's existential crisis, that also really takes the steam out of the film's narrative.

A big disappointment, unfortunately.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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