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Back
Shelf Beauties |
The Lookout Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars
as Chris Pratt – a former golden boy town hero who lost it
all in a horrible
accident. Now, he
has diminished mental
capabilities, works as the night janitor in a small Kansas bank, is
pitied by
those around him and lives haunted by the pain he caused. Alienated from his family,
Chris’s only real
pals in the world are his blind roommate, Lewis (Jeff Daniels), and the
small
town deputy, Ted (Sergio Di Zio), who brings him doughnuts each night. One night, Chris goes to a
local bar hoping
to meet a lady, but ends up befriending Gary (Matthew Goode). Soon, Chris becomes part
of Will Chris agree to be the
lookout? The
Lookout has all the
right elements of tension, story, a little comic relief, and solid
acting that
makes it one of those movies you will tell your friends to see. Writer/director Scott
Frank fills the movie
with its natural element of danger, has action happening in just the
right
ratio with storytelling, and knows when to end the movie instead of
adding
several unnecessary scenes. Quite
to the
contrary and much to my relief, The
Lookout
has an excellent resolution that is
believable and fits the movie perfectly. The Lookout only suffers from a small lack of details. Frank makes the audience assume a bit too much about the criminals, like they know a great deal about Chris, but we don’t really understand how they picked up such information. They have an elaborate plan to rob the bank, but we only get a smidgen of insight into their knowledge of the target, how they plan to carry out the heist, and the backgrounds that make them qualified bank robbers. We see the gang on stakeouts picking up information, but they have such detailed info and such a depth of knowledge about everything that the audience needs a bit more explanation about how it is all obtained by sitting in a car looking at the bank. Frank’s script does
excel in
creating interesting characters, which gives the acting ensemble a
chance to
wow us. He gives us
insight into Chris’s
pain and desire to be somebody special like he used to be, and the
frustration
he feels with his situation, which gives Gordon-Levitt plenty of
opportunities
to connect with an audience that will pity his plight.
Then, Frank gives Daniels a chance to play
the wisecracking, but also wise, best friend who steals every scene in
which he
appears with a playfulness that is welcome, while also voicing the
audience’s concerns
at different stages of the movie.
You’ll
also admire Goode, best known for playing nice guys in Match Point
and Chasing
Liberty, as he gets mean and nasty as the gang’s
tough guy leader with one of
the best villain voices you will hear all year long. The
Lookout may
not be a
classic movie that will live forever in the annals of movie making, but
you
won’t be disappointed if you see it in the Cineplex, on DVD
or on late night
cable. Maybe that
will make it a Back
Shelf Beauty.
The Lookout is rated R for some violence, some sexual content and language.
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