| | | Whoever Has the Money Has the Power.
Acclaimed screenwriter Scott Frank (Minority Report) makes a mind-blowing directorial debut in The Lookout, a gritty, high-tension crime thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (TV's Third Rock from the Sun, Brick), Jeff Daniels (The Squid and the Whale) and Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers). Chris "Slapshot" Pratt (Gordon-Levitt), whose once-bright future has been dimmed by a head injury, is a night janitor at a bank. Lonely and frustrated, Chris falls prey to a con man's seductive promise of romance and a better life, and agrees to help rob the bank where he works. Filled with heart-pounding action, edge-of-your-seat suspense and a twist you'll never see coming, The Lookout will grip you and never let go...It's "a masterpiece" (Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper).
"...haunting, engrossing and intelligent..." Claudia Puig, USA Today
"Frank's writing is razor-sharp, his filmmaking whistle-clean." David Edelstein, New York Magazine
"...funny, tender and littered with elegantly written characters..." Ella Taylor, LA Weekly
"[Frank's] crafted a haunting and hypnotic film that transcends pulp by creating characters that get under your skin." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...[Gordon-Levitt] brings unexpected depth, complexity, and sincerity to what could have been just another damaged-guy role." Robert Wilonsky, The Village Voice
Editor's Note
Equal parts psychological drama and heist movie, this film from screenwriter Scott Frank is a smart first feature with a strong cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Chris Pratt, a young man whose life changes after a car accident. Though Chris survived, he's not the cocky high school athlete everyone remembers. Instead, a head injury leaves him with memory loss and the need to write everything down in a notebook. After leaving his late-night job as a bank janitor for the evening, Chris meets Gary (Matthew Goode) and Luvlee (Isla Fisher, WEDDING CRASHERS) at a neighborhood bar. Though they initially seem genuine, Gary reveals his intentions to rob the bank where Chris works. Eager for friendship and a return to the person he used to be, Chris is quickly in over his head.After starring in THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN, Gordon-Levitt hasn't gone the typical route of a 20-something actor. There isn't a single mainstream film in his post-sitcom filmography, and he has chosen smart indie fare such as BRICK and MYSTERIOUS SKIN. Though THE LOOKOUT is a larger project, it gives him the chance to shine. Jeff Daniels (THE SQUID AND THE WHALE) adds depth and wry humor with his portrayal of Lewis, Chris's blind roommate. British actor Goode trades in the good-guy roles in CHASING LIBERTY and MATCH POINT for this decidedly darker part. Though THE LOOKOUT lacks the style and humor of Frank's previous screenwriting work in OUT OF SIGHT and GET SHORTY, it's a well-acted film that is worth seeking out.
| Features | Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Scott Frank & Director Of Photography Alar Kivilo | | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Featurettes: Sequencing The Lookout & Behind The Mind Of Chris Pratt | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: French, Spanish | | This Is A Blu-Ray DVD Made For Blue-Laser Format Players Which Produce Higher Quality Picture & Sound |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | The Lookout - DVD Review By: Jesse Hassenger - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 8/3/2007 7:49 PM | |
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a soft baby face and a lanky frame, so it's easy to see why, Eight years after Third Rock from the Sun and 10 Things I Hate About You, he can still play teenagers. The surprise is that he can play them so differently. In The Lookout he's Chris Pratt, who starts off the movie as a cocky high school hockey player. After a car accident, though, Chris sustains brain damage that leaves him hollowed and frail, struggling, even more than most, through a mundane life.
Chris's condition isn't as neatly symbolic as Guy Pearce's inability to make new memories in Memento. Moments of clarity brush up against considerable fuzziness; Chris can remember people and places while forgetting how to heat up pasta sauce....read the full review |
| The Lookout - DVD Review By: Rafe Telsch - Cinema Blend DVD Reviews Published on: 8/13/2007 10:32 PM | | One of the things that makes The Lookout really appealing to me is the different levels it works on. Even on a surface level the story is part heist-flick, part drama, and even a little part action movie. I wrote my initial review looking at how Chris, and more importantly his disability, is treated by the various people around him. However, that concept-of-self isn't the only thing to look at either. There's a lot in the movie about carrying one's transgressions and forgiveness; two things Chris Pratt has a lot of problems dealing with. ...read the full review |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 8/14/2007 |
| Running Time: 99 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 5441003 | | UPC: 00786936735628 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.40:1 |
| Cast & Crew
|
| | Professional Reviews | Box Office
"[With] salty language, caper tension and heartfelt drama, it's calculated to please....And please it does." 03/01/2007 p.61Premiere
3 stars out of 4 -- "[T]he movie belongs to Gordon-Levitt; putting across powerful impulses of shame and anger from behind a veil of blankness and befuddlement..." 04/01/2007 p.44-45 Rolling Stone
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "[A] haunting and hypnotic film that transcends pulp by creating characters that get under your skin." 04/05/2007 p.82 New York Times
"Mr. Goode, with his mix of intelligence, cruelty and self-loathing, is both repugnant and fascinating....Most impressive of all is Mr. Gordon-Levitt..." 03/30/3007 p.E15 Movieline's Hollywood Life
"The spirit of Hitchcock returns triumphantly in THE LOOKOUT....The most gripping suspense film of recent years because it makes us care about the people caught up in a life-or-death adventure." 03/01/2007 104 Total Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "Outwardly calm and inwardly broiling, BRICK star Gordon-Levitt is wholly fine as the troubled soul....A polished debut that would make Elmore Leonard proud." 10/01/2007 p.56 Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he characters are intriguingly off-centre....[Gordon-Levitt delivers] a typically edgy turn." 11/01/2007 p.64 Ultimate DVD
3 stars out of 5 -- "THE LOOKOUT is an engrossing character-driven thriller, propelled by the excellent performance of Levitt..." 11/23/2007 p.111 Sight and Sound
"The real richness of the film lies in its ambiguity and attention to detail. The characters may seem like archetypes, but we are never quite sure what drives them." 12/01/2007 p.77 ReelViews 7 of 10
The Lookout is an effective little thriller that almost works from taut beginning to unspectacular end. The premise is interesting and the story is developed in such a way that the viewer is engaged throughout. The opening scene hooks us and the movie spends the next 90-plus minutes reeling us in...In the end, The Lookout works better as a character study than a thriller. Chris' situation is more interesting than the heist, which occupies a surprisingly small portion of the running time. If the crime elements are undercooked, at least the character development is effectively handled. Nevertheless, the movie's anti-climatic resolution in concert with the holes left by the occasionally untidy script result in The Lookout not living up to its promise. Compared to some of Frank's past projects, this is a tepid offering. - James Berardinelli
Portland Oregonian 10 of 10
Scott Frank made his name writing smart thrillers for smart directors. His screenplays for "Out of Sight," "Minority Report," "Get Shorty" and "Dead Again" are tightly plotted and snappy to the ears; actual grown-up professionals are pushing your thrill buttons...And now, with "The Lookout," Frank gets the chance to direct one of his scripts. The result is a terrific little crime flick that makes it clear Frank was paying attention while his dialogue was being filmed by Steven Soderbergh...Frank keeps his goals modest and his pacing crisp. The movie treads into "Out of Sight" territory, in the best possible sense: "The Lookout" is packed with sharply sketched characters, terrific acting, funny dialogue and cinematography that's more careful than it looks...Jeff Daniels does another great character turn as Chris' blind, truth-telling roommate...If you enjoyed any of Frank's previous work, or thought "Brick" was the bomb, you'll love this. - M.E. Russell
|
| |
|
|
|
