Reviews & Ratings for
The Lookout More at IMDbPro »

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Strong film, let down by weak final act, 7 March 2013
Author: tieman64 from United Kingdom

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"The Lookout", an excellent crime drama by director Scott Frank, stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jeff Daniels as a pair of likable handicaps who share a small apartment. Both become embroiled in a bank caper, but the film's first hour is less interested in conventional crime movie thrills than in crafting a restrained and somewhat touching character study. In this regard, our hero's a young kid whose sense of self-worth has been shattered by a fatal accident, who suffers severe mental disabilities and who slowly finds himself seduced by a fork-tongued villain.

At its best, the film is sensitive, well acted and fairly unconventional. Unfortunately its final act degenerates into genre clichés and action movie wish-fulfilment.

8/10 – Good, sensitive potboiler, promises more than its final act can deliver. See "Cutter's Way".

wow, 16 February 2013

Author: blanche-2 from United States

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is "The Lookout," a 2007 film written and directed by Scott Frank which also stars Jeff Daniels and Matthew Goode.

Chris (Gordon-Levitt) is a young man who was riding with friends one night and turned his car lights off -- when he turns them on, it's too late to avoid a combine stuck in the middle of the road. Four years later, Chris is working as a bank janitor and, because he suffered frontal lobe brain injury, has some problems. These include short-term memory -- he writes everything he has to do in a notebook. He's taking classes, and at present living with a blind friend (Jeff Daniels). He meets with a social worker periodically -- and tells her all he wants is his past life as a star athlete and to be "the way I was." Following the suggestion that he get out more, Chris goes to a bar one night. There he meets a man, Gary (Matthew Goode) and a young woman, Luvlee (Isla Fisher). What he doesn't know is that Gary and his gang of thugs have been watching the bank where Chris works so that they can rob it. Gary's purpose in befriending him is soon made known -- the gang wants his help in the robbery.

Excellent film with wonderful performances. Gordon-Levitt is very good as an unhappy guy who can't seem to forgive himself for the accident. It's a very naturalistic performance and not a showy role. Jeff Daniels does a great job as his roommate Lewis, quirky, funny, and ultimately caring for Chris' welfare.

Matthew Goode, as Gary, is amazing. Though he's scruffy here, I recognized him immediately as the handsome, upper class brother-in-law in "Match Point" with the delicious British accent. Well, there's no trace of a British accent here, and he's tough and mean. Quite the performance, especially if you've seen him in other things.

"The Lookout" takes us through Chris' journey of unhappiness, frustration, and ultimately seduction as he attempts to accept himself and the world he now inhabits. A very fine film, highly recommended.

What a great actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is., 1 October 2012

Author: Marlene Amy Jolly from Argentina

This man is without a doubt in the Top 3 of best actors from his generation, and he takes his skills to the next level in this dramatic thriller. This is a movie you gotta be patient with, because the main plot is crafted in a slow pace, in order you get to know first Pratt's current and past life, his feelings and ambitions that led him to do what he did, and his wise blind friend Lewis, played brilliantly by Jeff Daniels. Once the movie gets in it's climax it totally gets your attention and you can feel what Chris feels like if you were him. I think that's one of the best qualities of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the way he makes his characters show every emotion in a such a sincere manner, so you can feel a strong connection with them. Only a few thrillers can really be emotional without recurring to basic clichés, and this one is one of them, because instead of showing tears and guilt it shows you how to overcome your problems and the way others may or not help you do it. For the combination of action and emotion brilliantly performed, this is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, and Levitt sure deserved much more recognition for this part in my opinion. 10/10.

A screenwriter's darling, 15 September 2012

Author: vostf (vik@noos.fr) from Paris, Fr

A broken character can easily become a writer's darling. Hey, instead of building up weaknesses deep inside a character a script just has to follow the single thread of poor guy who has to cope with our reality.

Actually this seems to be a very well-written script: general pace, scenes, dialogue. The problem is, when a writer's indulges in the pathos world of a broken character, we have to cope with a passive lead who cannot succeed in anything more than just surviving his own wounds. In the end we have a very nicely written story but it doesn't lead us anywhere. The main character is marginally better off at the end, but maybe he would have been better off anyway.

The funny thing is that it looks like the movie is too linear: we are always in a position of being one step ahead of the struggling hero, so why not try a more creative editing? The hero is advised to start with the end if he has trouble gathering his thoughts, so who's giving free lessons here?

Powerful and convicting in its simple goodness., 1 February 2012
Author: bobsgrock from United States

The Lookout is the kind of film that will not make money, and this did not. What it does is provide us with great storytelling, strong performances and a moving portrayal of a man whose life is anything but what he envisioned and now must deal with long-term consequences. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, clearly one of the best actors in the business, goes accent and all into the role of Chris Pratt, a once highly-touted hockey player with an affluent family, a blind roommate and short-term memory loss conflicting with his desire to live normally.

The center plot involves Chris crossing paths with a group of the exact opposite kind of men he has become. Led by the mysteriously violent Matthew Goode, these four plan to rob the bank where Chris works at, leaving him with a serious moral choice: rob the bank for money to improve his life or stay stuck in the same rut.

What separates this film from other modern noirs like it is its wonderful sense of humanity. The opening sequence sets the tone for the film and despite what happens we feel empathy for Chris who after a tragic event in his past hopes to wrong his rights one way or another. Goode gives perhaps the film's best performance as a smart, handsome and completely confident man Chris comes to admire if only to pick up women. The supporting roles also add rather than subtract from the story thanks to the likability of Jeff Daniels and Isla Fisher.

Many have probably not heard of this film and that is a shame. Beautifully written, smartly directed and an ending that avoids the right clichés and overt sentimentality all combine to make this a very entertaining and touching human story.

Only characters, 19 January 2012
Author: Vincentiu from Romania

Nuances of characters, larges, subtle, powerful, full of symbols, poetry and deep senses. That is the virtue of this movie. Exploatation of Gordon - Levitt to discover the basic truth of a character, shadow of a great hockey player for who life is a kind of swamp. The precision of Jeff Daniels to give soul and tenderness of a unforgiven blind informal teacher. The interpretation of Matthew Goode as game of bleak pieces and final victim. The story is old and without sparkle. So, important is teller. Director, actor, public. A common film who creates more than good memories. Few characters and broken limits. Existence as cold river in evening. That is all.

wonderful pace and so exciting, 11 January 2012

Author: biggishlou-242-950725 from San Francisco

Instead of going to bed at 2am I decided to stay up and watch The Lookout on USA, solely because of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Particularly of how he has been in four of the best films I have seen in the last few months. (That would be Brick, Hesher, Inception, and 500 Days of Summer) This is different than all of them, and it is not a heist action thriller as it may sound.

I believe this is mostly about the main character, Chris Pratt (Levitt) and the struggles with his past, present, future, and morality. An instantly likable yet sad character. Those that surround him, weather they be complexly written into the story or not, like him for some reason or the other. That is except for one who we only know of in the end. Levitt plays a fine lead in a cast full of Numerous personalities.

This is a writers film. Obviously, since Scott Frank is primarily a screenwriter. However for his directorial debut, one doesn't think his skills fall short of the two other infamous directors that were semi attached here before. The cinematography fits perfect for this bleak and rather sad story, but don't fret, the excitement is right around the corner of a multi story building(see it, some will get it).

Some have said the story lacks complexity, and sure, the actual synopsis is nothing new. That's not the point. The pacing, the characters, the dialogue, the desolate landscapes and quirky camera angles. That's the point. This is my first written review on IMDb, and I felt compelled to write about The Lookout. That's the point.

Lookout delivers an action plot with real characters, 4 January 2012

Author: djderka from United States

This is a really good movie, with suspense and characters so lifelike I didn't think they were acting.

The main character, Chris Pratt is an high school "everyman" in that almost all high schools have some kids that have been killed or maimed in a car wreck. At my high school, which was large, there was a car full of kids who crashed into a utility pole and one died, the others mangled up. Everyone knew them and it haunted us for a long time.

That is why the one scene where Chris is pulled over the by the cop as he drives down the highway still stunned by the wreck, wrings so true. The cop says he was riding with no lights on (as in the accident) and asks to see his ID. He looks, a beat, "so you're Chris Prentis"

And in a look he conveys the knowledge of that tragedy and says "Go home". A brilliant scene that contains a hell of a lot of emotional baggage. That might have been a great opening shot, then flash back to the crash....just sayin'.

This movies has a great script, superb acting and nice shots. What more could you want, except that as the writer of Out of Sight, and Get Shorty Frank left out some of the more humorous aspects that were frequent in those films. Perhaps this was a more somber approach. But maybe the humor was more of a Leonard deal.

The movie reminded me of A Simple Plan, an excellent movie by Sam Rami which is rich with character ideas, plot and acting.

Go see this movie and be sure and listen to the Director's commentary track.

Enjoy.

A heartwarming tale of a young man who gets all his friends killed, 19 November 2011
Author: JSmith125 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The moral scheme of this film is just incomprehensible. We're supposed to feel bad for a guy who killed two of his friends and maimed another by driving irresponsibly. He emerged intact, but it's supposed to be OK because he suffers some problems with memory and has to write things down. Then he joins a gang planning a bank robbery. He knows this is wrong, as is clear from his initial resistance, but goes along anyway to spite his dad. The robbery gets another friend of his killed, a deputy sheriff who used to bring him donuts. That's actually felony murder, but it's OK because the kid felt bad about it and tried to warn off the deputy at the last moment. And then, instead of ratting out the gang to the cops, as a responsible citizen would do, the kid takes matters into his own hands, which brings his current best friend within two seconds of getting killed. But it's OK, because he shoots the bad guy and is last seen "getting on with my life." Well good, because unfortunately all the people you got killed won't be getting on with theirs.

Now This was a Great Movie!!!!!!!!, 16 August 2011
Author: smheat96 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This movie was great!! Plain and simple, the acting was superb, the characters were thorough and precise and you empathize them and you really can understand how they are feeling and what they are going through. Joseph-Gordon Levitt, from Inception, who gets into an accident, no more details, has memory loss and has to write everything down. He lives with his room mate played by the guy in Dumb and Dumber who was Jim Carrey's friend.

Now these group of bank robbers who picked out a location of a bank to rob in a small rural town sees that Joseph's character works there and they decide to befriend him and welcome him to their family and during that process Joseph meets this girl and falls in love with her, but freaks out when he finds out that the guys want him involved in a bank robbery. Now the plot is very interesting because it's as if you are watching the movie through the main character's eyes. That's what I meant by saying you empathize the character so much. It moves at a steady pace, never a dull moment, always something going on and the dialog was so captivating, it's exactly like how a normal person under that situation would talk, and the whole movie is overall amazing. Watch it and enjoy this was something you will like. People on this sight keep commenting the similarities between memento and this. Memento was incredible and somewhat some aspects there are some similarities but this is something a little different and it's a good flick to watch.

Solid 9/10!!!!

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