ThE lUcKy OnE 2012

The Lucky One is a 2012 romantic drama film directed by Scott Hicks and released April 2012. It is an adaptation of the 2008 novel of the same name, by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Zac Efron as a U.S. Marine who finds a photograph of a smiling young woman during his service in the Iraq War. During his three deployments to Iraq, he carries it around with him as a good luck charm. He experiences a series of fortunate events and, upon his return, goes looking for the woman in the photo to thank her.

Plot………………… Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) is a U.S. Marine serving his third tour of duty in Iraq, when his platoon engages in a night raid. When his platoon brushes up against a second Marine platoon, Logan and another Marine have weapons pointed at each other before they both lower their weapons, realizing the other is not a "bad guy". Shortly thereafter Logan witnesses a Marine called "Aces" die while attempting to aid one of his men during an ambush. The following morning, he sees something glinting in the sun and walks over to pick it up. It is a picture of a young woman, with the message "keep safe x" written on the back. At that moment, a mortar attack destroys where he had been sitting before he saw the picture, killing some of those around him, but leaving him with minor injuries. He later tries to find the owner of the picture, but is unsuccessful. Logan keeps the picture, and has a run of close calls but escapes them, though a number of his comrades do not. On his final mission Logan and a squadmate are discussing the upcoming end of their tour, and thoughts of returning home. Logan's squad mate is confident Logan will get back home, declaring the woman in the picture is Logan's "guardian angel". The conversation ends abruptly when an explosion destroys the Humvee they were riding in. Logan returns to Colorado to live with his sister and her family, who have been looking after his dog, Zeus. Suffering from PTSD and survivor guilt, he finds it difficult to adjust to life back home. He decides it is best to leave, and he departs to find some peace from his memories, and to search for the woman in the picture to thank her for her unknown role in helping to bring him through. Logan walks with his dog Zeus to Louisiana, where a lighthouse in the background of the picture of the unknown woman has provided a clue to her location. Once there he asks around if anyone could recognize the woman in the picture, and a local resident Logan finds in a bar recognizes the woman, but warns Logan that she used to be married to a friend of his, a local deputy sheriff.

Logan finds the woman, Beth Clayton (Taylor Schilling), but has difficulty explaining why he is there. She assumes he wants to apply for a job, and becomes wary of him. She looks to send him off, but her grandmother Ellie (Blythe Danner) is less quick to judge, and decides to give him the job. At first, Beth is irritated by Logan's presence, but begins to warm to him as he proves to be more solid than she had at first supposed. Logan's calm, steady presence and willingness to work are appreciated, as is his competence in repairing machinery. Through it all he develops a supportive relationship with Beth's son, Ben, who is without a strong, positive male presence in his life since the death of Beth's brother, Drake. Beth's former husband, Sheriff Deputy Keith Clayton, the son of the town's judge and mayoral hopeful, is immediately suspicious and jealous of Logan. He is brusque and overbearing with the former Marine. Insecure, he discourages Ben from playing the violin around him, something which causes Ben to practice in his tree house by himself. When Ben returns bloodied from a charity baseball game, Beth and Keith have an argument, and Keith threatens to use his connections to take full custody of Ben. Beth is anxious over Keith's short temper, and is fearful of losing her son to him. On the anniversary of Drake's death, Beth becomes distraught and Logan comforts her. Beth opens up about the life she had growing up with her brother, and she takes Logan to a boat her parents owned. The boat no longer runs, but she is fond of it, and she reminisces about how she and Drake used to ride together on it when they were young. One day Logan overhears Ben playing the violin in his tree house. Later, Ben discovers that Logan is musical as well, and has a talent for playing the piano. Logan convinces Ben to team up with him for a church service performance, and with coaxing and encouragement, Ben agrees. Keith tries to do something about the budding friendship between Beth and Logan, but Beth stands up to Keith, showing that she is not intimidated by him anymore.

Logan and Ben perform for the church. Afterwards the man who Logan talked to when he first arrived in town finds Keith to tell him about Logan asking around with the photograph. Keith breaks into Logan's home and steals the photograph, and then tells Beth that Logan has been stalking her. Her trust destroyed, Beth is distraught and sends Logan away. As he walks from the house young Ben comes out and gives him his chess book. Ellie tries to soften Beth, explaining to her that it isn't Logan's fault he survived and Drake did not. An intoxicated Keith sees Logan walking with his dog and angrily confronts him. When Zeus starts barking Keith draws his weapon. Logan takes the weapon away and has it drawn on Keith, but then lowers it, removes the clip, removes the round in the chamber, and returns the weapon to another sheriff, telling Keith "You're not a "bad guy", Keith". Logan heads home to pack up his belongings. While doing so he flips through the chess book and finds a picture of Ben and Beth's brother, Drake. The tattoo on Drake's forearm says "Aces". Realizing now that he knows what became of Beth's brother, he heads back to Beth's house to tell her. Keith is at Judge Clayton's, shocked and embarrassed over what he had done. The judge continues to see events only as they relate to himself, and tells Keith the other sheriff will look the other way, and it will all blow over before the election. Keith walks out into a gathering storm, leaving his badge behind. He heads for Beth's to plead to get back together again. Beth gently but firmly tells him it cannot be, angering Keith, who threatens to take Ben away. Hearing this the boy runs out into the storm with Keith following. Beth goes after them, just as Logan arrives. Ellie urges Logan to follow. Ben heads for his tree house, but has difficulty crossing the river because of the high water and storm. The rope bridge gives way and father and son are dropped into the water, just as Beth and Logan arrive. Keith calls to Logan for help and he immediately comes to assist, as the tree house sways in the wind. Keith is caught in the rope of the bridge, and gives Ben over to Logan. Logan says he will return for Keith, but as Ben is handed up to Beth the tree house falls and Keith disappears under it. The river sweeps the debris away. Paramedics arrive in the background. Judge Clayton thanks Logan for saving Ben, to which Logan replies it was Keith that had saved him, and conveys his condolences. Back home, Beth goes to thank Logan for saving her son. Logan states he is there to tell her he knew what happened to her brother Drake. He tells Beth how he saw one of Drake's men injured, and how Drake went to rescue him, paying for it with his life. Logan assures Beth that her brother didn't die in vain. As Logan walks out, Beth runs after him and asks him to stay, saying "You belong here." The final scene shows Logan, Beth and Ben, on Ben's 9th birthday, steering the boat as they make their way through the beauty of the Louisana delta.