The Lookout (2007)

The Lookout (2007)
Written and Directed by Scott Frank

Wow. All I can say is wow. I never expected anything out of this movie really, I remember when it was being promoted in its limited theatrical run, I just never got the chance or the motivation to go check it out. This is certainly the best Joseph Gordon Levitt movie I've seen, and he's done some really good work in the past few years, namely with Mysterious Skin and Brick. He's made quite an effort to distance himself from his 3rd Rock From the Sun and Angels in the Outfield days, which I think in about 3 more movies of this calibur, people will be saying "Hey, it's that guy from Brick and The Lookout" instead of remembering him from that oddball sitcom.

On to the movie: I'm a big fan of Scott Frank's screenplays, Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Minority Report are basically good movies because of the fact that they are so well adapted from the novels that inspired them. Here, he puts his best foot forward in creating a realistic and interesting plot, where you don't know what's going to happen in the next scene, it's the antithesis of the formulaic moviemaking that I'm becoming increasingly angered at. It's why I hated Vacancy so much, you can tell the writer of that film didn't think, he merely referenced other movies to see where his plot would lead next. The Lookout is a well thought out film about a young man whose mind, body, and emotions have been scarred by a tragic accident. Again, this remains unpredictable because it's not typical movie fare, he wasn't drunk driving; if he were, then the character would be unsympathetic because he would be deserving of what he got. Instead, the character is racked with guilt over this accident, and this guilt is played upon very nicely by the villanous characters in the film. Also, the film isn't about the bank robbery, it's about the character involved, and how he feels about it and deals with it. He is led to logical conclusions, and in the end, when he realizes he was wrong, there is no cop-out ending. He is wrong again, and he faces and deals with the consequences. Fantastic film, if there were only more like it, Hollywood and the movies would be such a better place.

9.2/10