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Plot:
"The Lookout" marks Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter Scott Frank's ("Out of Sight"), directorial debut. The intelligent crime drama is centered around Chris, a once promising high school athlete ...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:September 28, 2008Chris Pratt: I wake up...take a shower...
A good character driven crime drama. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is proving to be one of the guys I look forward to seeing in more movies. Here he stars as a formerly bright kid, who made a mistake and lost the better parts of his life. Now he has trouble with arranging things in his mind, inner monologue, and some physical things.
Lewis: Please tell me you're not waving your hand in front of my face.
His best friend is his blind roommate played by Jeff Daniels, who is very good as well, their chemistry and dialogue are some of the best parts in the movie.
Eventually Levitt befriends some guys who knew him back in the day and he becomes involved in some schemes they have.
What works here is how the plot works very naturally. Levitt is not simply convinced to participate immediately, the way it is handled is done well and so is his relation with these shady characters.
Gary Spargo: My old man used to say to me, probably the only thing we ever really agreed on, was that whoever has the money has the power. You might wanna jot that down in your book. It's something you're gonna need to remember.
Speaking of which, Mathew Goode, who I've only known as an English actor, does a great job selling his performance as an ex-con looking to score using some quiet methods to convince Levitt's character. He doesn't over play his criminal nature, doesn't try to be brooding, he comes off as a criminal that feels in place here.
Written and Directed by Scott Frank who penned the screenplay adaptations of some of my favorite movies, Out of Sight and Get Shorty as well as Minority Report, the movie relies mainly around dialog which plays very well, is sharp, quick, and darkly funny in some instances.
Lewis: [explaining how he went blind] When I was about your age, me and some friends decided to make some money by opening up a meth lab.
Luvlee: Oh! Did you blow yourself up?
Lewis: Does it look like I blew myself up?
The style of the movie is also pretty well handled, taking place in Kansas, it's always good to see snow handled well enough to feel real, and it is. The scenes toward the end of the movie, which of course involve more action, are also neatly done, using handheld work to give more flavor to the scenes.
The only real complaints I have surround the conclusion, things are wrapped up pretty quickly. Even though this is a bank robbery film, the standard elements of that aspect are handled well enough that the originality matters little, because it is how it is done that matters, and it is done well.
A well done film that makes good use of its characters.
Gary Spargo: I know you want to kill me.
Chris Pratt: [blurts out] I've gotta kill Bone first. -
MCT:September 14, 2008
Me ha gustado solo el final, debo decir que desde el principio hace solo, no se, solo mantener en "la quito o no la quito", pero valio la pena la conclusion.
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MCT:September 2, 2008
A very interesting look at life throught the eyes of a trauma patient. Action packed with a twist at the end.
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MCT:August 20, 2008
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of if not the most under rated actor around since his 3rd Rock days he has continued to star in many a great movie and his performances are never a let down. Another strng performance in The Lookout a great thriller with a twist that makes it unique. Can't wprk out how it got into the UK under the radar tho.
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MCT:August 16, 2008The Lookout is an amazing accomplishment for everyone involved. From its stars (the excellent triple threat of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, and Matthew Goode) to its director (Scott Frank, writer of great films like Out of Sight and Minority Report) the film is a creative high point in everyone's careers so far. How it works is really hard to explain. After all the premise will make it sound like one of many films trying to imitate Chris Nolan's excellent Memento.
But Memento this is not. Where that flick got by with a dosage of cool that underscored the narrative, Scott Frank searches for something deeper. That something deeper is its characters, each rich and deliciously complex in a way that I barely see in movies nowadays.
True to form, Frank shows how talented a writer he is (as if we didn't already know that) that he doesn't jump immediately into heist as he spends his time building characters that we will care about to make what transpires all the more involving. That screenwriting decision works brilliantly thanks to a cast that are at the top of their game.
As mentioned earlier the films main cast, Gordon-Levitt, Daniels, and Goode, are brilliant in their own unique ways. Levitt brings a shining complexity to this film like his previous work in Mysterious and Brick. The guy is incredibly talented and he deserves the highest praise for his performance. The key to it all is how Chris Pratt is portrayed. We see him at first as a high school star, easy going, fun, and more than a little cocky. But within minutes we see a different side of him after the accident, filled with vitriol and anger tinged with regret. The little aspects of his personality before the crash comes up in little details that makes you sympathize and like him. He fully resents his mental condition and his battle with it is one of the films highlights.
Jeff Daniels is a highlight as well. His performance is memorable as the sarcastically awesome Lewis. His role is totally heartfelt though, as he and Levitt have magnetic chemistry, playing off one another in a way that only Frank could cook up. He also proves to be a great mentor figure to Chris, as evidenced by his conversation with Luvlee (Isla Fisher in one of her best performances).
Matthew Goode and Fisher are also apart of this brilliant ensemble as Gary and Luvlee, two people who draw Chris into their world by (especially in Gary's instance) playing to who he used to be. Goode is...well good as Gary, an incredibly interesting figure who we know is playing Chris from the start, but he draws us in thanks to his enigmatically likable performance. Luvlee, on the other hand seems to care for Chris, as their relationship is carefully detailed, which brings me to first flaw of this picture.
As good as Isla Fisher's portrayal is, it basically goes nowhere as the movie progresses, with Frank not knowing what to do with her character in the long run. This is disappointing when almost everyone else is developed so involving its frustrating that he stumbles here. Still, I said almost because the second and final flaw comes from yet another character gone wrong. In this case its the fact that, from the start, Bone (Greg Dunham in a fine performance), the heavy of the robbers, is extremely one dimensional. In a movie full of complex, three dimensional characters, his character lacks a lot of depth.
From the quieter moments of dining with family to the gun-blazing heist-gone-wrong, Scott Frank shows that he is a talent to lookout for in the future. In a genre filled with less-than-stellar offerings on a yearly basis, The Lookout sets a high-water mark of quality for crime dramas. -
MCT:August 15, 2008
This is incredibly entertaining and solid piece of film making, by Scott Frank. The film travels on a road that its laid out for the audience to see steps ahead, but that never matters, b/c you are constantly in suspense over what will happen to the incredibly well drawn characters in the film. Frank also shows tons of directorial flair to accompany his writing prowess. The whole cast was amazing, Matthew Goode is completely unrecognizable and is perfect in the film. Jeff Daniels again dons a Beard and steals his scenes, every line of his dialog either makes you laugh, think or just compels the movie forward, and Joseph Gordon Levitt again proves why he is capable of being one of the next great movie stars. Go see this movie and tell your friends to do the same.
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Levitt is one of my favorite actors and he was nothing less than awesome in this, per usual. Though Jeff Bridges rocked the shit pretty hard too.
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MCT:August 10, 2008
Fantastic film from Scott Frank (writer of OUT OF SIGHT and GET SHORTY) that has a terrific cast ensemble. Joesph Gordon Levitt, all grown up, is a major player in the film. Levitt shows strong acting skills and battles internal and external dmeons through out the film. Jeff Daniels is always a charm and his witty and sonewhat sad portrayal of a scheming blind man cannot be missed. The film is VERY well paced and some parts of the moving leave you gripping your seat with angst. Highly recommended for fans of: Running Scared (Paul Walker), Undworld (Denis Leary), Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrell, Snatch, etc.
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MCT:August 10, 2008
Joseph Gordon-Levitt provides a great performance as a young man forced to start over after a traumatic accident. ?The Lookout? is a twisted and dark film that is worth seeing.
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MCT:August 7, 2008
Good performances and characters but the story was fairly ordinary. The only thing that made it different was Chris' disability.
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MCT:August 5, 2008
Don't let anyone tell you that this film is a "Memento" rip-off. Yes, they both deal with the concept of permanent short-term memory loss, but they couldn't be more different tonally, structurally, thematically, etc, etc.. On paper, "The Lookout" is a perfect top-notch hybrid of genres; it works as a heist film just as well as it works as a medical drama. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jeff Daniels are brilliantly cast in their roles, and they bring their characters to life in a way few other actors could.....But ultimately what muddles this picture and grounds entire segments of it in mediocrity is the debut directing of screenwriting guru Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Minority Report). Lately it seems like a lot of good writers are trying to make the transition from writer to director with lots of good-intentions and they never really pull-off the ambitious scope of their ideas - ex. Paul Haggis' "Crash"(2005). Oh well, maybe they just need more time behind the camera to get good at it....We can't all have amazing directorial debuts like Steven Soderbergh, Kimberly Pierce, or Tarantino.
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MCT:July 31, 2008This was a really solid crime movie, with lots of character development and great writing/directing.
But never before have I seen in my life a 90 minute film where the first act lasts an hour. That was ridiculous. -
MCT:July 23, 2008
Acting was amazing. Joseph was great with a difficult role, Jeff did great as a blind man, and the rest of the cast was good too. However Isla's character I thought had little meaning or relavance.
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MCT:July 23, 2008Algunas cintas parecen estar contentas consigo mismas; no toman riesgos, no dicen nada nuevo, ni siquiera se esfuerzan con conectarse con el espectador. "The Lookout" es una pelicula asi, cuya premisa parece una version muy pobre de "Memento" fusionada con "Fargo" (cabe recalcar que ambas son muchisimo mejores que esta). Las actuaciones son buenas y el guion es inteligente sin embargo la cinta nunca despega (hubiese deseado que olvidaran la tonta historia del robo de banco, y se enfocaran mas en el drama de la vida de Chris).
Esta pelicula no es mala, solo resulto una gran decepcion. -
MCT:July 20, 2008
Joseph did an excellent job in this movie!! I could feel the confusion he was going through, and wanted him to make the right decision in the end. Jeff Daniels also did a great job.
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MCT:July 15, 2008
Great movie even though I didn't watch the whole thing but iI plan on watching the whole thing really soon. The idea of them breaking into the bank was brilliant . I liked the part where the police officer caught Chris Pratt snapping pictures of the vault and thought it was for his parents to see where he works but it was actually a picture to devise a plan to break into the vault.lol well it was a great movie.
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MCT:July 6, 2008
a good movie...the plot takes the premise of a bank robbery but gives it an interesting twist with having a young man who is just looking to have a normal life get involved through manipulation. a decent movie overall
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MCT:July 5, 2008
Chris is picking up his life after a life-changing car crash where he goes from a rich spoiled hockey star to a mentally challenged janitor. He has some decisions to make when his help is required by some bank robbers.
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MCT:July 5, 2008
Fairly decent drama thriller that starts of great and goes into a downward spiral of clichés and bad character developing.
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MCT:June 30, 2008
Very engrossing, great film! Like "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" though, this movie relied heavily on character development which fell just short of amazing. I highly recommend this one though for the great conflict, especially if you liked "Memento".
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MCT:June 30, 2008
La historia de un joven que tras un accidente pierde todo lo que era y vive lleno de culpa y con muchas limitaciones.
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MCT:June 30, 2008
Grit and noir, angst and torment. This movie brings to life the pain in a life thought lost, but most definitely changed.
See the boy who has it all become the boy who struggles to simply get through a day all brought to life masterfully by Joseph Gordon-Levitt who has fast become a member of my "watch this kid" list. He plays both sides of the coin so beautifully that you may forget it is the same actor.
Effortlessly he switches into a very difficult role where he has suffered a TBI/ABI (Acquired/Traumatic Brain Injury) and does this without pretense. He must have done a character study as it is done so well.
You feel his pain. You feel him struggle against the everyday. You feel him miss...and not missing as his executive functioning fails him.
Taken advantage of we grit our teeth as the plot unfolds. The tension is always palpable.
Jeff Daniels is excellent as always and plays a tough role as the wizened blind man leading our protagonist as best he can through everyday life and then...the not so every day.
Don't blink...you might miss something.
This movie is a very good watch.
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Comments
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hollowheadakaregan5posted 453 days ago -
it sucked! haha just kidding greatest movie ever alot of action girls may not like it as much but guys deff a great one! highly recommedn
posted 556 days ago
