Lucky Luke Review

First released in 2009, French spoof Western Lucky Luke is being re-released, presumably to capitalise on the newfound fame of Jean Dujardin, the Oscar-winning star of The Artist (the same trick was played with Cash). Lucky Luke is based on the popular Gallic comic strip of the same name (which once shared a writer with Asterix) and features Dujardin as the titular hero, a cowboy with outrageous shooting skills who is tasked by the President with purging his birthplace of Daisy Town of the various outlaws and bad guys that thrive there. Short of Blazing Saddles, the best-forgotten Wild Wild West and that episode ofRed Dwarf, the Western is a genre that seems poorly served by affectionate parody; Lucky Luke is a welcome addition to this slight canon.

Like another famous comic hero, Luke’s parents were shot in front of him as a child and he therefore has vowed never to take a life. This presents his enemies with a weakness to exploit – can Luke save the day without betraying his ideals? That’s a rather too in-depth dissection of the plot. Lucky Luke is bizarre, screwball comedy that wears its comic roots whole-heartedly on its sleeve.

I liked the surrealist humour of the film. Highlights included a scene in which Luke’s horse Jolly Jumper is revealed (apropos of nothing) to be able to talk, a romantic encounter curtailed due to a squashed snail on a forehead and a series of escalating card and gun tricks performed by Luke and antagonist Pat Poker.

The look of Lucky Luke is also very well constructed, with a pleasingly bright colour palette and some excellent costumes. The production design is very good indeed, particularly the giant one-armed bandit in which the climatic scenes take place, which, as far as I could tell, seems to have been constructed for real (though probably in small sections).

The film may prove a little too weird and a little too European in its humour for some tastes. It’s also a shame that some fruitier scenes and mild violence have earned it a restrictive rating (the BBFC has rated the film itself as 12 though the DVD is rated 15, presumably due to content in the extras) as it would make an excellent movie for any kids not put off by subtitles. As such,Lucky Luke is likely to find itself a rather niche audience, if any. Those that do seek it out will be treated to a charmingly wacky horse opera that will surely not fail to raise a smile along with an eyebrow.