Review of The Lookout (2007) by Scott K — 27 Sep 2008

Chris Pratt: I wake up...take a shower...

A good character driven crime drama. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is proving to be one of the guys I look forward to seeing in more movies. Here he stars as a formerly bright kid, who made a mistake and lost the better parts of his life. Now he has trouble with arranging things in his mind, inner monologue, and some physical things.

Lewis: Please tell me you're not waving your hand in front of my face.

His best friend is his blind roommate played by Jeff Daniels, who is very good as well, their chemistry and dialogue are some of the best parts in the movie.

Eventually Levitt befriends some guys who knew him back in the day and he becomes involved in some schemes they have.

What works here is how the plot works very naturally. Levitt is not simply convinced to participate immediately, the way it is handled is done well and so is his relation with these shady characters.

Gary Spargo: My old man used to say to me, probably the only thing we ever really agreed on, was that whoever has the money has the power. You might wanna jot that down in your book. It's something you're gonna need to remember.

Speaking of which, Mathew Goode, who I've only known as an English actor, does a great job selling his performance as an ex-con looking to score using some quiet methods to convince Levitt's character. He doesn't over play his criminal nature, doesn't try to be brooding, he comes off as a criminal that feels in place here.

Written and Directed by Scott Frank who penned the screenplay adaptations of some of my favorite movies, Out of Sight and Get Shorty as well as Minority Report, the movie relies mainly around dialog which plays very well, is sharp, quick, and darkly funny in some instances.

Lewis: [explaining how he went blind] When I was about your age, me and some friends decided to make some money by opening up a meth lab.

Luvlee: Oh! Did you blow yourself up?

Lewis: Does it look like I blew myself up?

The style of the movie is also pretty well handled, taking place in Kansas, it's always good to see snow handled well enough to feel real, and it is. The scenes toward the end of the movie, which of course involve more action, are also neatly done, using handheld work to give more flavor to the scenes.

The only real complaints I have surround the conclusion, things are wrapped up pretty quickly. Even though this is a bank robbery film, the standard elements of that aspect are handled well enough that the originality matters little, because it is how it is done that matters, and it is done well.

A well done film that makes good use of its characters.

Gary Spargo: I know you want to kill me.

Chris Pratt: [blurts out] I've gotta kill Bone first.