David O'ConnellJoseph Gordon-Levitt is The Lookout
August 8th 2008 03:23
This noirish drama/thriller from the pen of acclaimed screenwriter Scott Frank received little notice at the time of its release but considering the pedigree of all involved it’s no surprise to discover it’s a genuine sleeper.
Frank, known best for successfully adapting source material like Get Shorty, Minority Report and Out of Sight for the big screen, makes his debut behind the camera here and though not overwhelming with a flashy, attention-grabbing stylistic approach, he does bring a lot of intriguing elements into play; clearly there was a fairly limited budget at his disposal here too but the strength of his story and the performances he’s elicited give the film a strong foundation. (The film was actually shot on digital video but you'd be hard-pressed to tell a lot of the time)
Rising star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was so astonishing in the confronting Mysterious Skin and Brick, plays Chris Pratt, a young man with a promising future ahead of him as a sports star until a fateful, disastrous moment of arrogance behind the wheel one night whilst driving his girlfriend and two other friends home. His friends die, his girlfriend loses a leg whilst he's left scarred and with a serious brain injury which leaves him in hospital for months.
We then fast-forward in time four years, and Chris is struggling to overcome the legacy of his crash. He lives with a blind man, Lewis (Jeff Daniels) who helps him overcome the difficulties he encounters with basic, everyday things in life which he’s prone to confusing and disordering.
Chris writes things down in his notebook, like planning the order of his day as a way of aligning his mind with simple chores and keeping his head straight.
As an audience we see trouble beginning to brew when another guy from his former high school, Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode), who claims to have once dated his sister, starts ingratiating his way into Chris’s life, obviously with a strategic, ulterior motive in mind.
Chris now works through the small hours as a janitor in a bank, his only distraction a dim-witted policeman, Deputy Ted (Sergio Di Zio) who comes along a few times a night to offer donuts and a few minutes of conversation.
We can see where this is all heading as the slippery, conniving Spargo manipulates Chris’s life by foisting a ‘girlfriend’ upon him in the form of Luvlee (Isla Fisher), and changing his life for the better through their phony friendship before cutting to the crux of the matter and laying out his plan and Chris’s proposed involvement in it – his role as their Lookout!
It doesn’t all go to plan however and there are a few neat surprises in the second half of Frank’s original screenplay, with unexpected complications rearing their unwanted heads as the story counts down to its tense finale.
Gordon-Levitt gives yet another strong performance, further erasing any horrible memories of him as that weird younger brother in 3rd Rock from the Sun! He’s more than matched by the laconic wit of Daniels and convincing newcomer Goode as the manipulative Spargo.
The Lookout, released in 2007, is another classic case of a ‘smaller’ film flying under the radar; it’s an engaging, intriguing ride and deserves to be seen by a much wider audience than it has. It’s definitely worth tracking down.
Frank, known best for successfully adapting source material like Get Shorty, Minority Report and Out of Sight for the big screen, makes his debut behind the camera here and though not overwhelming with a flashy, attention-grabbing stylistic approach, he does bring a lot of intriguing elements into play; clearly there was a fairly limited budget at his disposal here too but the strength of his story and the performances he’s elicited give the film a strong foundation. (The film was actually shot on digital video but you'd be hard-pressed to tell a lot of the time)
Rising star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was so astonishing in the confronting Mysterious Skin and Brick, plays Chris Pratt, a young man with a promising future ahead of him as a sports star until a fateful, disastrous moment of arrogance behind the wheel one night whilst driving his girlfriend and two other friends home. His friends die, his girlfriend loses a leg whilst he's left scarred and with a serious brain injury which leaves him in hospital for months.
We then fast-forward in time four years, and Chris is struggling to overcome the legacy of his crash. He lives with a blind man, Lewis (Jeff Daniels) who helps him overcome the difficulties he encounters with basic, everyday things in life which he’s prone to confusing and disordering.
Chris writes things down in his notebook, like planning the order of his day as a way of aligning his mind with simple chores and keeping his head straight.
As an audience we see trouble beginning to brew when another guy from his former high school, Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode), who claims to have once dated his sister, starts ingratiating his way into Chris’s life, obviously with a strategic, ulterior motive in mind.
Chris now works through the small hours as a janitor in a bank, his only distraction a dim-witted policeman, Deputy Ted (Sergio Di Zio) who comes along a few times a night to offer donuts and a few minutes of conversation.
Chris is wooed by Spargo's charm and interest
We can see where this is all heading as the slippery, conniving Spargo manipulates Chris’s life by foisting a ‘girlfriend’ upon him in the form of Luvlee (Isla Fisher), and changing his life for the better through their phony friendship before cutting to the crux of the matter and laying out his plan and Chris’s proposed involvement in it – his role as their Lookout!
It doesn’t all go to plan however and there are a few neat surprises in the second half of Frank’s original screenplay, with unexpected complications rearing their unwanted heads as the story counts down to its tense finale.
Gordon-Levitt gives yet another strong performance, further erasing any horrible memories of him as that weird younger brother in 3rd Rock from the Sun! He’s more than matched by the laconic wit of Daniels and convincing newcomer Goode as the manipulative Spargo.
The Lookout, released in 2007, is another classic case of a ‘smaller’ film flying under the radar; it’s an engaging, intriguing ride and deserves to be seen by a much wider audience than it has. It’s definitely worth tracking down.
Jeff Daniels as Chris's blind new mentor Lewis
| 68 |
| Vote |
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I really liked this one too..it helps that Joseph Gordon Levitt is my actor to watch at the moment with Brick and Mysterious Skin both astonishing.
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic