Lucky, the Inscrutable

The entire production creaks at the joints, wheezing where it should sing and thudding gracelessly where it ought to dance. If only the tone had been better judged it could indeed have been the knockabout satire Franco had in mind. Unfortunately, acting styles clash, comic registers grind gracelessly against each other, and the wackiness of the premise feels childish instead of surreal.

Lucky the Inscrutable comes as something of a surprise: it’s a Bond-esque comedy-caper whose chief pleasures come from the energetic performances and amusing dialogue rather than action. Franco’s take on the genre is typically contrary, working as it does against the standard genre conventions: rather than portray Lucky as the archetypal suave and sophisticated international fixer of cinematic repute, Ray Danton clearly enjoys himself playing Lucky as a bit of a tosser but with a nice line in self-deprecation.

This is a very silly movie. It’s an Airplane-style, comic book-type secret agent adventure with Ray Danton as Lucky the Inscrutable, a master of disguise, among his many other amazing qualities. He’s not only prepared for every situation, he’s an expert in every situation. The gags fly fast and furious and with so many jokes thrown our way, some are sure to stick. And some do.