Review of The Lookout (2007) by David C — 02 Dec 2008

This film is fantastic. At first glance the poster makes this film out to seem like one of those typical, dumb action thrillers with no depth and intelligence. To think that would be a huge mistake because this film is anything but that. It has heart, you can connect emotionally, and the dialogue is realistic and memorable.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines as Chris Pratt. His subtle facial expressions of anguish and torment are fascinating to watch. The audience immediately connects to his performance and this makes the audience engaged in the film. Critics described his performance as "Oscar-worthy" and I couldn't agree more. He owns this role.

Jeff Daniels is great as Chris' blind roomate Lewis. He's hilarious but also very engaging. You always want to pay attention to every word he says.

The second best performance in the film, however, is Matthew Goode's performance as the menacing Gary Spargo. He was terrifying, agressive, everything a great villain should be and more. He had subtext in many of his lines and he had a very realistic performance. Jeff Daniels got nominated for a Satellite award for Best Supporting Actor for The Lookout, but I think Matthew Goode should've been nominated.

The script is brilliant. It's original, funny, intelligent, suspenseful, intellectual and relatable. It's unlike any "thriller" I've ever seen because the script cares more about characters than it does about the actual action and suspense.

Overall, if you want to watch an intelligent thriller, hear a great original script, great direction, and fantastic performances, go see The Lookout!