Review: The Lookout

The Lookout was a pleasant surprise for me. I knew it was some sort of heist movie, but beyond that, I went in refreshingly ignorant. What I was met with was a drama with genuine emotion, interesting characters, and originality.

Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is struggling to find his place after a horrific car accident leaves him with a head injury. He relies on a notebook to remember the mundane details of daily life and has labels on everything in his apartment to keep things straight. His carefully outlined life is forced into upheaval when he meets some people who intend to take advantage of him.

The dark tones that writer/director Scott Frank works with echo film noir, but keep at a distance from this more formalistic style. While he provides plenty of stark shadows and empty environs to emphasize the isolation Pratt feels because of his condition, he doesn't dive fully into those familiar memes. The characters overall are not caricatures, as they sometimes tend to be in noir, and some, as is the case with Luvlee (Isla Fisher), have motivations that remain a little unclear even as the final credits roll.

That said, I like to think there was some symbolism going on that I didn't quite get. I noticed the neon cross hanging over Pratt's shoulder in one scene, reflected in his window in another. Also, there's the stoic, dark-spectacled enforcer Bone. He says little in the film and bears more resemblance to a force of nature than a man. He reminded me a little of Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, an agent of evil with no feeling. I'm not sure, however, what that means in the context of this movie. Pratt is dealing with his demons throughout the film, so maybe this literal dark character is the personification of that. I won't go further in the interest of avoiding spoilers, but if anyone has any theories, I'm all ears.

Any review of this movie would not be complete without mentioning Gordon-Levitt's nuanced and restrained performance. From the subtle accent, to the intermittent stares and the slight limp, he had me believing Pratt was a real person with a real head injury and more importantly, I sympathized with him. Jeff Daniels' depiction of his roommate and friend, Lewis, complemented Pratt perfectly, cultivating a friendly chemistry that's almost palpable. It's hard not to like Daniels in this role and it's a real treat to see these two great actors plying their trade together on the silver screen.

In conclusion, I'll just say that I wouldn't mind watching this one again at least once. There is plenty of beautiful photography to look at, the story would hold my interest, and the performances are truly amazing. Check it out soon.