Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Bruce McGill, Carla Gugino
Written By: Scott Frank
Directed By: Scott Frank
Studio: Miramax
Buy on Amazon.com link

I’m starting to think that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is indie film’s best kept secret. After putting together a stellar performance in 2005’s Brick, and what I’ve heard is a great role in 2004’s Mysterious Skin, I’m pretty sure there were huge hopes that this might be Gordon-Levitt’s breakout performance. And it has every reason to be.

The Lookout barely made a dent when it came to theatres earlier this year, which is a huge shame because it is a good thriller and an even better character study. There’s something oddly compelling that glues you to the screen and keeps you mesmerized for the perfectly paced 100 minute running time. And I sincerely hope it garners some sort of word-of-mouth success whether on DVD, rental, or cable television. Because it deserves to be watched.

The film focuses on Chris Pratt (Gordon-Levitt), a former high school hockey star who in a near-fatal car accident develops a brain injury that alters the way he goes about his life. Gordon-Levitt performs the role with haunting grace and dexterity, creating a character that seems fully adjusted on the outside, but is doing everything possible not to fall apart on the inside. Four years after his accident, he has somewhat adjusted to his new life, living with a blind man (Daniels), and going to life skills school to help him get sorted out. Meanwhile, he works as the night janitor at a bank where he hopes to gain teller experience but is hindered by his own mental capacities. He eventually befriends a shady but smooth-talking con man named Gary, who invites Chris into his world and offers the promise of wealth and success to make up for his four previous years with nothing but letdowns.

Bank heist films have been around almost as long as cinema itself, but what sets The Lookout apart is that its heist is almost secondary to its study of Chris’ complicated and desolate character. First time director (but well-seasoned Hollywood writer) Scott Frank does a wonderful job of mixing a dark and sparse score with beautiful cinematography to illuminate the world surrounding Chris, a mix of urban and rural Kansas (although filmed in Manitoba). The film mixes the right amounts of art film psychological intrigue with fast-paced thriller action.

Perhaps the only weak points are Isla Fisher’s character Luvlee, a former dancer who waltzes in and out of Chris life so quickly that I wondered if her role was even necessary at all, and the local policeman who frequently visits Chris on the job, whose pregnant wife’s near delivery date only sealed his fate, not that it didn’t give the film a greater level of gravitas, but I could smell it from his first introduction into the plot.

The two features are pretty nice, quick featurettes about the creation and process to make the film (it had been in some stages of development for over 10 years) and the character of Chris and how Gordon-Levitt put together his role.

This film would be a perfect compliment to Brick, Gordon-Levitt’s previous film, as their subdued tones and compelling storytelling give me faith that American genre cinema can still be exciting. I implore Scott Frank to make more films of this quality, ones that make the audience think, emote, and come out of the film with both satisfaction and the urge to watch it again just to see what they missed the first time.

This could be the most necessary video rental of the fall. Definitely a worthwhile viewing.

Features:
“Sequencing the Lookout” Making of Featurette
“Behind the Mind of Chris Pratt”
Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Scott Frank and D.O.P. Alar Kivilo

Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1
French Language Track

Video:
Widescreen 2.40:1

Subtitles:
French
Spanish

Favorite Scenes:
Rating: R
Running Time: 99 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: