Writer-director Daniel Brown’s Your Lucky Day offers a twist-laden take on the hostage crisis film. Set almost entirely within a convenience store, the story revolves around a $156 million-winning lottery ticket and how it triggers a bloody series of events. A young drug dealer, Sterling (the late Angus Cloud), pounces on the opportunity and robs the unlucky winner right before a policeman emerges from the bathroom. Faced with too many loose ends to simply leave and collect the money, Sterling opts to cut in the witnesses that he initially takes as hostages, as long as they help him cover up his crimes.

For a thriller, Your Lucky Day’s atmosphere is oddly and refreshingly relaxed. For one, the characters don’t need much convincing when it comes to going with Sterling’s plan. Some, like the pregnant Ana Marlene (Jessica Garza), even prove quite adept at scheming as they puzzle...