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Film review

Turning familiar into fresh

Situations from notable movies inspire The Lookout, which turns out to be a respectable bank robbery movie in spite of its many borrowed elements.

By Steve Persall
Published March 29, 2007

Writer-director Scott Frank artfully borrows from better films to shape The Lookout into a commendable heist flick.

Frank's plot is set in wintry conditions reminiscent of Fargo, The Ice Harvest and A Simple Plan. The protagonist suffers with Memento-style cognitive problems that require him to jot notes about what he should remember. The bank robbery angle comes from any number of movies.

So much imitation shouldn't be flattering, yet The Lookout manages to become its own film, not merely a cinematic clone.

Rapidly ascending actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt - galaxies away from his sitcom roots on 3rd Rock from the Sun - plays Chris Pratt, a former high school hot shot hockey player. Chris had it all going for him until reckless driving killed two friends, injured his girlfriend and left him brain-damaged.

Chris is a stranger in his own skin, unable to connect what he thinks to what he's doing. His daily routine is waking, working as a bank janitor and sleeping again, with occasional bursts of unchecked anger. His closest human contact is with Lewis Jeff Daniels, a blind roommate finding purpose by looking out for Chris. Daniels' imitation of sightlessness is solid, and his scenes with Gordon-Levitt are why anything else in The Lookout matters.

Nearly an hour is spent establishing the depth and frustrations of Chris' condition and Lewis' importance in his life. Gordon-Levitt intuitively allows Chris' physical and emotional trauma to be gradually revealed.

The Lookout is such a compelling character study that the eventual heist angle is a minor letdown. Chris' job and condition make him the target of former classmate Gary Spargo (charismatic Matthew Goode), who needs an inside man to rob a bank. Gary knows which of Chris' buttons to push: a strained relationship with his parents, and hormones stoked by a femme fatale (Isla Fisher). She sets the hook and Gary reels him into the scheme.

Nobody expects a master crime from these amateurs, so the time spent detailing what goes wrong seems misplaced. The robbery is essentially the film's second act, leading to a revenge conclusion that probably suits audience needs more than the characters' histories. At only 98 minutes, the movie plays as if it's longer.

However, the solid performances - especially Gordon-Levitt, who is maturing into another Ryan Gosling - make The Lookout worth seeing. Just try to forget that you've seen much of it before.

Steve Persall can be reached at (727) 893-8365 or persall@sptimes.com.

Review

The Lookout

Grade: B

Director: Scott Frank

Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Carla Gugino, Bruce McGill

Screenplay: Scott Frank

Rating: R; violence, profanity, sexual situations

Running time: 98 min.

[Last modified March 28, 2007, 10:04:24]