‘Your Lucky Day’ is an action thriller directed by Dan Brown. Released in 2023, this concise yet powerful feature delivers a distinct message of greed, tragedy, and desperation of the common person’s lust for riches and a better life. The film’s setting and incidents pave the way for a thrilling watch, adding moments of fatalities and an illustration of the constant, inevitable doom of being apprehended for one’s crimes.
At the crux of it, the movie is an acute exploration of the many negative traits humans can have. It features powerful performances from Elliot Knight, Jessica Garza, and the late Angus Cloud, who bring to life the motto “Get rich or die trying.” Yet, due to the pacing of the film, there may be a few unanswered queries lingering at the end. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Your Lucky Day Plot Synopsis
The film begins with Sterling, a drug dealer who will do anything to obtain a better life, even if he resorts to a life of crime. In a twist of fate, a winning lottery ticket is purchased at a local store, invoking excitement for the winner. However, Sterling, who stands behind them, takes advantage of the situation and turns it into a fatal dispute. Armed with a gun, he holds the shoppers hostage.
Sterling offers them a deal: as witnesses of the crime, they must decide if they want to be a part of the crime and take a cut of the $156 million jackpot. If not, they will suffer the consequences at hand. After much thought, three people- Amir, Ana, and Abraham, decide to give in to Sterling’s scheme. He offers 6 million to Amir and 6 million to Ana and Abraham. Once they agree to be a part of his plan, they start with figuring out how to dispose of the dead bodies of the ones who have already been killed.
How did Sterling Plan to Get Away With His Crimes?
The lust for money quickly leads to bloodshed, and George Laird and Cody are the first to fall. When Ana, Abraham, and Amir decide to help Sterling dispose of the bodies, they know they must start with removing the incontrovertible evidence in the form of the CCTV footage, which is system-protected with a password only Amir knows. Considering he is now part of the plan, he obliges and deletes the footage while also helping clean up the evidence. They also realize that Laird’s car is still outside, and to get away with the murder, they will need to get rid of the car. Ana suggests making it look like the vehicle was stolen and dumped in a ditch after the thief was done with it, but that only solves one problem. They must also dispose of the bodies.
To divert attention from them, they start to cook up a story about Laird which the cops will find easy to believe. Sterling finds Laird’s wallet and phone in his pocket, and with Ana’s ingenuity, they unlock the phone with his fingerprint. Ana then comes up with the story of him going on vacation to Mexico for the holidays. She sets up an “out of office” reply for all his work emails and informs his assistant as well. This would give them a time period of about a month before anyone can find out he is missing, considering he has no family records on his phone.
Sterling then tasks Amir and Abraham to put Laird’s body in the trunk of Laird’s own car, additionally planting Cody’s gun with it. After this, Abraham is told to drive the car to Fisher Island via a ferry. He is hesitant to do this, but Sterling aggressively insists. Abraham, at this point, will not go anywhere without Ana, but she assures him that everything will be fine.
Sterling had planned to get rid of Laird’s body first and then deal with Cody’s body. However, the plan goes horribly wrong as Cody miraculously survived the shot and had already called his father by the time they sent Abraham to dispose of Laird. Sterling and witnesses were unable to plan for what was up next. Amir and Sterling were already shot dead by the time Abraham came back. In the end, their plan would have worked out if Cody had truly died or if they had known that Cody was still alive. Planting Cody’s gun with Laird’s body, they wanted it to look like the two had something to do with each other’s murders.
Do Ana, Abraham, and Rutledge Get Caught?
As the film progresses, Cody, the police officer who was shot by Sterling and presumed dead, miraculously survives. He regains consciousness next to the dead body of Mr. Laird, whom Cody accidentally shot when trying to apprehend Sterling. He realizes that Amir, Ana, Abraham, and Sterling are scheming together to get the money from the lottery ticket. Cody notices that his police radio isn’t functioning and resorts to calling his father through his cell phone. He informs his father about the situation and the winning ticket. His father, Dick, who has also had a law informant background, rounds up his two friends, Rutledge and Dobbs, and proceeds to rescue his son.
Dick makes a deal with his friends to split the lottery money, with the primary plan of putting down anyone in the store who tries to stop them. When they reach the scene, they quickly shoot down Sterling and Amir, who aren’t even aware that Cody is alive. Dobbs is tasked with taking Cody back to the getaway vehicle, with Rutledge serving as the overwatch and a sniper covering the entry and exit of the store.
Dick is tasked with grabbing the lottery ticket. While doing this, he sees Ana, who is playing dead on the floor. He tries to make sure that she is dead but gets distracted by Abraham’s voice, who is on the loudspeaker phone in the next room. Dick realizes and informs the others that there is another person who they need to worry about. He begins searching for the ticket and is attacked by Ana, who bludgeons him to death with a hammer. She takes his radio and directly threatens Rutledge and Dobbs that she will burn the lottery ticket if they do not leave.
By this time, Ana has also done a background check on Dick and found out that he is a rogue police officer who was forced to resign because he was caught in a corruption case. The other two friends are his accomplices. If they were caught in this situation, they, too, would face serious consequences. She realizes she can use this information as leverage.
While this is happening, Abraham arrives at the scene and tries to get into the store but is caught by the two, who take him back to the getaway car. Now, both parties have something the other wants. Ana suggests they work together to get the money. However, she is unaware that Abraham has been captured by the two and is in their car. He starts singing as a way to notify her that he is alive. Ana understands this and ceases communication with the duo. Rutledge, bothered about the ticket, orders Dobbs to go back in and claim the ticket.
Ana now sets up for the worst and hides from Dobbs but is caught. In a hands-on battle, Ana uses a shattered glass piece from a bottle to stab Dobbs in the neck. He bleeds out and dies as a result. She then uses a matchstick to trigger the fire alarm, which additionally sends a signal to the police. Ana, all this while, didn’t even have the winning ticket. She heads out of the back of the store to find the ticket, which is in Sterling’s pocket. Rutledge, who has not received an answer from his colleague, takes a handcuffed Abraham with him to the entrance of the store.
In another unexpected event, an injured and distressed Cody emerges, walks into the store, and shoots Ana. Abraham runs to help and tries to shield any further attacks on Ana. At this moment, Rutledge also enters the store and realizes that the police will be there at any moment. Considering that all evidence is stacked against him, he shoots Cody in the head and uncuffs Abraham. He now agrees to their arrangement and makes it look like he saved Ana and Abraham from the violence that took place in the store.
In the finale, Ana and Abraham welcome a child, and Captain Rutledge is proclaimed a hero. He receives half of the $156 million for himself, stating in a TV news report that he was offered the money for saving their lives. This, of course, is far from the truth. While the film implies that the trio gets away with it, it is highly unlikely that they did, with further investigation.
Using the countless tools the police have at their disposal, victims’ time-of-deaths, fingerprints, DNA blood samples, and individual accounts would all need to pass the test of the truth. Ana would need to do the most explaining as she used two guns, a hammer, and a bottle as weapons. The blood splatter on her clothing would be from different people, including her own. Lastly, her injuries would also need to be justified, as a few of them occur while resisting attacks, attacking others, or hiding.
Ultimately, even if all these tests are passed, the hardest part would be explaining what really happened. The trio would all need to provide the exact same story in hopes of passing this test. Abraham, here, would be the weak link, as he is not aware of the majority of the proceedings that took place while he was away. Right after the police arrive at the scene to see Rutledge helping Ana and Abraham, they go on different paths. Abraham and Ana would be taken to the hospital, while Rutledge would be taken to the police station. At this time, the trio wouldn’t have enough time to create a story for them to tell the police.
Any deviation in the story would drive the police to probe this case even further, involving the forensics department or even a higher investigative authority. However, even before that, it is unlikely they would have gotten away with it, considering Ana’s physical and psychological trauma of going through all this while being pregnant and Abraham’s mental state after these incidents. Apart from this, he would also need to explain why there was a dead security guard at the railway crossing and if it’s in any way connected to the events of that night.
To reiterate, while the movie does imply that the trio did get away with it, it would be very unlikely, considering the circumstances. The various events of the night have left several breadcrumbs for investigators to follow and reveal the truth. Furthermore, it is improbable that the trio had the time to create a story that would be identical when questioned. In the end, human greed and its actions will speak louder than words and will be the biggest of all clues. The police will eventually find out what really happened.
Who Gets the Lottery Money?
In the final scene, we see Ana and Abraham welcome a newborn, while Rutledge is awarded for being a hero. How did they cover it all up, and more importantly, what happens to the money? With only Ana, Abraham and Rutledge left alive, it makes sense that they would split the money. But before that, they need to come up with a story that aligns to a common narrative. Rutledge explains to them that all they need to remember is him saving their lives. The movie implies that all three had identical stories of the incidents that day. However, this plot point is not expanded upon. Ana and Abraham would need to rewrite the events of that night and present them to the police.
According to their made-up story, after buying the winning lottery ticket, Sterling tried to take it from them at gunpoint. While holding them hostage, he convinced Amir to help him and promised him a cut of the money. Then, unexpectedly, Cody just happened to be around the place and heard the commotion. He arrived at the scene only to be faced with bullets. He called for backup but, unable to do so, he called his father, Dick, who immediately came to the rescue with Dobbs and Rutledge.
Cody was severely injured and then shot in the head by Sterling. Cody was dead by the time Dick, Dobbs, and Rutledge arrived. They tried to calm down the situation because of the hostages, but when it didn’t work, they pushed into an all-out attack. In the process, Amir bludgeoned Dick with a hammer, and Dobbs shot Amir with a shotgun, but Sterling, who ran out of bullets, used a glass beverage bottle to stab Dobbs in the neck. In the end, Rutledge shot Sterling and ran to help Ana and Abraham. Somewhere during the firefight, Ana was shot in the crossfire. When the police arrived, Rutledge was applying pressure to the pregnant woman’s midriff, accompanied by a worried boyfriend.
While there could be numerous variations to the story they presented to the police, the core elements remain the same. Most of the assailants died in the ensuing firefight. The couple, who were held hostage, remained alive as Rutledge saved the day, later claiming half the money for himself.
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