O Lucky Man!

The film opens with a silent, black-and-white prologue set in an unnamed country where peasant laborers work under armed foremen. A worker pockets beans and is exposed, and a brutal punishment follows as the foreman enforces the penalty before the screen cuts to black and the title NOW appears.

Mick Travis starts his ascent as a coffee salesman for Imperial Coffee in North East England, where a tailor gifts him a golden suit that signals his rise. He travels to Scotland and beyond, chasing money and status as he climbs the corporate ladder. The era hints at the moral compromises behind success.

As he advances, Travis becomes a victim of state power, subjected to torture and used as a medical research subject under Dr. Millar in a government installation. The abuse foreshadows the moral tests he will face and the compromises he may endure.

Travis learns Patricia is the daughter of Sir James Burgess, an evil industrialist, and Burgess soon appoints him as his personal assistant. He enters a world of wealth and influence where manipulation and power shape his path.

Burgess sells the regime of Dr. Munda, the dictator of Zingara, a chemical called PL45 'Honey' whose napalm-like effects devastate rebel areas. When international outcry erupts, Burgess schemes to convict Travis of fraud to cover his tracks.

Travis is imprisoned for five years following Burgess's machinations. The rise he enjoyed gives way to a system designed to crush dissent and accountability.

Upon finishing his sentence, Travis emerges as a model prisoner and develops a humanitarian outlook. The experience refines his ethics, yet the world around him challenges the legitimacy and longevity of his idealism.

After his release, Travis stops in a London slum and discovers Patricia and her wealthy husband have fallen into extreme poverty. He confronts the widening gap between wealth and need and questions what his renewed beliefs mean in the real world.

Travis's attempts to help the downtrodden are met with hostility, and he is attacked by the very people he tries to aid. The episode shatters his fragile idealism and leaves him wandering the streets in disarray.

Destitute, Travis becomes involved in a film casting call, with Lindsay Anderson appearing as the director of the film. He is handed various props, including a stack of schoolbooks and a Bren light machine gun, echoing his earlier life and the world of spectacle.

During the screen test, Travis struggles to smile and asks why he should, until the director slaps him with a script book. This moment triggers an awakening about his role within a society built on performance and control, and he slowly begins to smile.

The cut to black returns with Travis in a golden suit, dancing at a raucous party with the film’s cast as balloons descend from the ceiling. The finale blends satire with spectacle, leaving his fate open to interpretation and inviting reflection on his journey.