Movie Review: The Lookout

Looking for an engrossing character study crossed with a heist film? Well have I got a movie for you. The Lookout advertises itself as a movie about a bank robbery where one of the characters is manipulated into assisting until the tables get turned. Sounds rather simplistic, but there is much more to it than that. The heist actually turned out to be a small part of the story, sure it is a tense buildup, but it is so much more about the main character, played by the ever impressive Joseph Gordon Levitt.

The film opens with a turning point in young Chris Pratt's (Levitt) life. It is a scene of initial beauty, immediately followed by tragedy that will forever scar the young man. Pratt was a high school hockey star, one of the cool, popular kids that had everything going for him, pretty girlfriend, rich family, the sky was the limit. While out with his friends, heading to a party, there is a horrific car accident that leaves two of his friends dead, his girlfriend seriously injured, and himself with brain damage.

We pick up the story a year removed from the accident. Chris is attempting to put his life in order, struggling with the effects of brain damage. He has issues with sequencing events, remembering what he needs to do, in addition to that he has some impulse and anger control issues, all of which conspire to keep him from living a normal life. To help him deal with his life, he goes to classes on how to structure life and is rooming with a well adjusted blind man, Lewis (Jeff Daniels), serving as his mentor.

Chris works as a night janitor at a small bank, where he aspires to gaining enough control to become a bank teller, but is summarily denied by the manager due to his sequencing issues. One night, after work he runs into an old acquaintance from his high school days, Gary Spargo (Matthew Goode), who accepts Chris for who he is now and introduces him to an ex-stripper named Luvlee Lemons (Wedding Crasher's Isla Fisher), who is more than eager for a hookup with the former hockey star. Before Chris knows it, he is being manipulated by his new "friend" to assist in a burglary of the bank that he works at.

Of course, the heist does not go as planned, as Chris is able to gain the upper hand. While this heist is an interesting thread, it is merely a thread in the character study that is Chris. Here is someone who lives wih daily reminders of the tragedy in his past, living with the guilt of his culpability in what happened, not to mention the fact that he has to rely on notes and routine just to get through the day. It is fascinating watching Chris struggle with all of this, and draw a newfound strength from the heist that seems to move him in the right direction, towards forgiving himself and taking steps towards redemption.

Is The Lookout perfect? No, but it is wonderfully effective, and tightly focused. If it had another 15-20 minutes more of the threads could have been rounded out a bit more completely. Things like his relationship with Luvlee, who showed signs of not fully agreeing with the plot, or more with his case worker (Carla Gugino), or even a bit more with his father (Bruce McGill). In the big picture, this is a minor complaint, as the film has more modest goals, and its primary focus of Chris Pratt is realized completely.

I have to say that Joseph Gordon Levitt has been on a great run lately, playing interesting characters in films outside of the mainstream. He is carving out a niche in the neo-noir genre that puts his considerable ability on display, take this film with Brick and Mysterious Skin as an example of what he can do. He has come a long way from Third Rock from the Sun.

This movie also marks the directoril debut of screenwriter Scott Frank, whose work includes Minority Report, The Interpreter, and Our of Sight. His debut is one of promise, with an interesting visual style and the ability to remain tightly focused on his subject. It will be interesting to see what he does next.

Bottomline. First rate character driven thriller. Filled with great touches and small performances all adding much flavor to the proceedings. It is so much more than a heist film. It is a movie to watch and absorb and just flat out admire.

Highly Recommended.