deals with so much pain and hurt on his inside, looking in his eyes you see both his constant torment and vulnerability. Both written and directed by Scott Frank of whom The Lookout is his directorial debut, Frank has done a great job at getting the best from his actors and writing a solid story that is translated to screen very nicely. The build up to the end is impressively good. Towards the end you really feel as a viewer you've spend a lot of time with Chris getting to know him and seeing the effects of the tragic accident from four years ago. You feel like you truly entered his life and there's a relationship formed between viewer and character. The other characters have very nice scenes as well where they get to show more of themselves and get the chance to develop, like Lewis easily does. Besides Levitt, an actor that I feel finally gets to show of a different side of him is actor Matthew Goode. The British actor who's acting career only started some years ago, pulls off a flawless American accent. Having played roles that could be considered safe and not that challenging, he was on his way to becoming more of a teenage heartthrob than a serious actor. Luckily, with The Lookout he finally gets to show off his acting chops and establishes himself as a very promising actor. Jeff Daniels, who's in the industry for a long time now, but whom I feel still doesn't get the full praise he deserves for his acting, delivers a great performance as the blind Lewis. Easily crawling inside his character's skin, he shows concernedness for Chris as an older brother would and really takes care of him, but also stays true to his character of being funny and approaching life with a big smile. In a slightly smaller role is Isla Fisher playing Luvlee, who shows affection and depth in a character that could have easily become just a pretty girl with no brains. The Lookout is a very solid film, slowly spreading out the field to plant the seeds of its story. With a very nice pace the story moves from one level to another, eventually reaching it's climax that offers you a very nice thrill.What is it about?
Chris Pratt who works as a janitor at a bank and who also keeps an eye out to make sure the bank's vault is safe, went through a drastic change in life after having caused a deadly accident four years ago. In that accident two of his friends were killed. Only himself and his at that time grilfriend Kelly survived but both left with injuries they will carry with them throughout the rest of their life. Before the accident Chris was a great ice hockey player who a lot of fellow teenagers dreamed of being. His life seemed perfect and full of opportunities. After the accident Chris has gotten trouble remembering and getting his thoughts in order. It's hard for him to set up a string of daily events, like showering and eating breakfast, and then place them
in the correct order. He also often forgets his car keys which he leaves stuck inside his car. Fortunately he always carries with him a spare key he keeps in one of his shoes, so that he won't have to get in too much trouble to get his keys back. Together with Lewis, a blind guy who approaches his life with a lot of positivity, he shares an apartment. When one night he meets Gary Spargo, a guy who says to have known Chris' older sister, he soon befriends a lot of new people, including the pretty Luvlee with whom he starts off a relationship. However when the true reasons of Gary's friendship with Chris surfaces, Chris is seduced into the dark side, eventually agreeing on his involvement to set up a heist in the bank he works in.Final Verdict: ****1/2
The Lookout is a great achievement for debuting director Scott Frank, who gets the best out of his cast by showing great character development and tells the story of Chris with much ease, keeping it very fluent. There are very sincere scenes between characters with witty dialogue. The jokes Lewis makes are really funny. It's nice to get some real conversations in a film that could have been easily turned into a mindless action flick. The premise of The Lookout isn't all that much, but it's handled very well, thanks to the great structure director Scott
Frank has put into the story. The Lookout feels fresh and really stands on its own, without giving the feeling it tries to copy other films of the same genre. The opening scene really hits you and the ending leaves you with some nice twists that increases the suspense. With Chris Pratt, Frank has created a great character who's background really explains his motifs, giving the story and its characters a lot of authenticity. Because of the realistic feel of the movie it makes you relate easier and gets you really involved. Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves again he can be a perfect leading man, always looking very sympathetic and likeable, but also reaching into the depths of his character. The Lookout is a very nice crime thriller, that starts of slow and gradually reveals its story and characters, building up to a very exciting ending.
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