O Lucky Man!

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O Lucky Man!

R

1973

2h 53m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

A tenacious young British man, Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell) is determined to be successful. Starting off as a coffee salesman, Mick is soon promoted within his company. Then things take a series of bizarre turns, and Mick is abducted by a military agency. Later, he becomes smitten with the gorgeous Patricia (Helen Mirren) and winds up working for her father, sinister executive Sir James Burgess (Ralph Richardson). As Mick's tale continues, his experiences get progressively stranger.

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Penelope Gilliatt

The New Yorker

The film is Lindsay Anderson's most complex, irascible, and contenting feature so far.

Mar 5, 2024

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Variety Staff

Variety

No less than an epic look at society is created in Lindsay Anderson's third and most provocative film.

Aug 22, 2008

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Time Out

O Lucky Man! is a disappointment.

Jan 26, 2006

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…a brilliant, scabrous movie the like of which will never be made again…as a state-of-the-nation expose of the patriarchy, you won’t find anything better, and the pre-punk, institutionally-led anarchy in the UK it exposes is still happening to this day...

Rated: 5/5

Aug 28, 2025

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Dilys Powell

Sunday Times (UK)

Good films have navels; they draw nourishment from other works. And O Lucky Man! is a very good film.

Aug 8, 2022

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Its episodic sequences are surreal and are either a hit or a miss.

Rated: B+

May 15, 2022

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Orin D

I returned to this epic film last night having not watched it for many years.Though he isn't the director this flick was conceived by Malcom McDowell & it's his performance that carries it through two discs & over three hours. I intend to return to this picture every few years w/ an anticipation of enjoying it thoroughly once again. Orin P. Domenico

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/03/25

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Casino 2

This is a remarkable and disturbing odyssey of the central character (MMD), blazing through several set pieces which were contemporary snapshots of UK society at that time. Brilliantly acted and scripted, you will need to watch this movie 2-3 times before you identify all the subtleties. Captivating, a must-watch film, in the same iconic class as The Deer Hunter, Casino, Scarface etc.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/25

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Alec B

Less focused that "If . . ." But its ambitious and leaves no target in early 70s Britain unscathed.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

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dave s

While it may or may not be the best entry in Lindsay Anderson's Mick Travis Trilogy, O Lucky Man! is certainly the most entertaining. Mick (Malcom McDowell) is a traveling salesman, eager to make his fortune on the sale of coffee. However, wealth tends to elude him as he makes his way through northern England, encountering one strange incident after another. O Lucky Man! is a brutal and savage satire, effectively dismantling capitalism and the material wealth that is pursued by so many. McDowell, as one would expect, is brilliant as the wide-eyed idealist and the supporting cast, including the likes of Helen Mirren, Sir Ralph Richardson, and Rachel Roberts, more than hold their own. It is a picaresque experience, buoyed by an original script and great music from Alan Price (of the Animals), that needs to be seen.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Strange, yet watchable. Filled with lots of social commentary. Couldn’t help but see way too many Alex De Large similarities of ‘A Clockwork Orange’, but Malcolm is the ‘good’ guy in this one.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/22/22

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Audience Member

One of the best films I've seen

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

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Lindsay Anderson

Director

Malcolm McDowell

Michael Arnold Travis

Ralph Richardson

Sir James Burgess

Rachel Roberts

Gloria Rowe

Arthur Lowe

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Helen Mirren

Patricia

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Synopsis

A tenacious young British man, Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell) is determined to be successful. Starting off as a coffee salesman, Mick is soon promoted within his company. Then things take a series of bizarre turns, and Mick is abducted by a military agency. Later, he becomes smitten with the gorgeous Patricia (Helen Mirren) and winds up working for her father, sinister executive Sir James Burgess (Ralph Richardson). As Mick's tale continues, his experiences get progressively stranger.

Director: Lindsay Anderson
Producer: Michael Medwin, Lindsay Anderson
Screenwriter: David Sherwin
Production Co: Memorial Enterprises
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 24, 2012
Runtime: 2h 53m

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