The Lookout: Review

The Lookout, written and directed by Scott Frank (writer of Out of Sight and Get Shorty), was heralded upon its release as one of the first pleasant surprises of the year, a small thriller that featured in-depth characters and some legitimate suspense. It was with this hype, along with the long held belief by many Hollywood insiders that the script has been one of the best not-produced works floating around, that I viewed the film and unfortunately, it doesn't quite live up to expectations. This is not to say that it isn't worth a viewing, far from it, but rather than an innovative neo-noir, the type of which we were promised, it is really no more than a small time heist film filled out with some more in-depth characterization. Had it not been for the lead performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is surely one of the finest young talents in film today, The Lookout could have been a crushing disappointment. It is due to Mr. Gordon-Levitt that the film has some weight and might stick with some viewers past the conclusion of the final credit.

Gordon-Levitt, who also anchored 2006's instant indie classic Brick, has wonderfully moved from his now signature role on NBC's 3rd Rock From The Sun to more independent and adult oriented fare. His seeming penchant for small thrillers helped to make Brick into one of the best noirs this side of Chinatown and greatly aids The Lookout, allowing Frank's script to come to life on screen. Gordon-Levitt plays Chris Pratt, an struggling janitor at a Kansas Bank, who on his high school prom night, was involved in a horrific accident that left 2 of his classmates and friends dead on the scene. Pratt sustains a severe head injury and as a result, struggles with his memory, depression and self-forgiveness, something he has never allowed to himself to achieve. One night in a bar, Pratt meets Gary Spargo, (played by Matthew Goode) who claims he graduated a few years before Pratt and through a series of events, Pratt finds himself waist deep in a bank robbery.

The narrative may feel simple enough, and it is, but that’s because the film uses it as a jumping off point to examine the effects of a life-changing event, such as Pratt's accident, might have on someone in their early 20's. As a character study, The Lookout is an interesting and at times, well constructed view into Pratt's life. He lives with a blind friend, played by Jeff Daniels, and it quickly becomes clear that it is Pratt who relies on his roommate, despite the more obvious handicap. Pratt is frequently unable to construct a normal day and Gordon-Levitt really nails the frustration and aggravation that results from his inability to live a normal life. For someone who was a star hockey player in high school, Pratt has been reduced to one of the outliers in a society, a young man who had his life ripped from him due to an unfortunate event. While not a full on outcast, it is apparent that Chris is no longer a member of mainstream, everyday society due to his injury.

As a whole, the cast here is wonderful, the best part of the film, and is able to carry the weight of the subject matter at hand with ease. Daniels and Gordon-Levitt take their parts and run with them, imbuing their characters with a definite humanity. Isla Fisher, as Pratt love interest, is good here as well but as I've mentioned before, Gordon-Levitt is the star here. Label me surprised that he has been able to break away from what could have been a career-defining role to make films that are unique and relevant. Unlike many other child stars, who seem to spend more time in the tabloids than on-screen, Gordon-Levitt has matured with grace and class, honing his considerable talents to a point where his career is extremely promising. If he continues to make good decisions on projects, look for him to become a massive indie star.

Frank, who also penned Minority Report, seems to work better with source material. His skills seem better fit enriching others characters for the screen instead of creating his own. As a director, he is a talented stylist, using a realistic feel here that positively works with the characters. The snow-covered plains of Kansas immediately bring to mind the Coen's Fargo and while The Lookout has nothing on that masterpiece, there are definite similarities in its style and setting. One gets a feeling that Frank has seen that film a couple of times and used it partially as a template here to guide his story. His shooting of the climatic bank robbery is assured although there is a jarring shift where the film switches into an almost Mann like use of a digital camera, making the final shootout look more like Collateral or Miami Vice. While this necessarily isn't a bad thing, given the rest of the look of the film, it was immediately noticeable and worked to remove me from the suspense of the situation.

For fans of noir, The Lookout will probably be a pleasant find, an under the radar flick that moves quickly along and utilizes its time well (a pitch perfect 95 minutes) and for that, its worth a rental. While the film didn't floor me as I hoped it would, and it doesn't come close to Brick, I did find myself riveted at moments of the film. However, it never fully came together like I hoped it would and had a few awkward moments (the continued use of the phrase "Whoever has the money, has the power", which is too similar to Scarface's ideological ground zero). It was never enough to ruin the film, just enough to knock it down a few notches. That being said, there is enough promise here between Frank's direction and Gordon-Levitt's performance that one can't help but eagerly await their next projects.

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