The Lookout (2007)

Directed by: Scott Frank | 99 minutes | action, drama, thriller | Actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Bruce McGill, Isla Fisher, Alberta Watson, Alex Borstein, Sergio Di Zio, David Huband, Laura Vandervoort, Greg Dunham, Morgan Kelly, Aaron Berg, Tinsel Korey, Suzanne Kelly, Brian Roach, Martin Roach, Ofield Williams, Julie Pederson, Stephen Eric McIntyre, Janaya Stephens, Marc Devigne, Courtney-Jane White, Thanya Romero, Tracy McMahon, Gordie Farrell, Toni Reimer, Ted Felbel, Charles Crossin, Chuck Robinson , Kalyn Bomback, John Bluethner, Leslie Bais, Harry Nelken

Who would have thought that actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who became known for the light-hearted character Tommy Solomon from the comedy series “3rd Rock from the Sun”, would become one of the best, most promising dramatic actors of his generation? Because that’s how he can be qualified by now after his superlative roles in recent years. In 2004, he excelled in the daring role of teenage prostitute Neil in Gregg Araki’s ‘Mysterious Skin’; in 2005 he made an impression in the role of Brendan in the modern, hip film noir ‘Brick’. And then in 2007 there’s ‘The Lookout’, in which Gordon-Levitt once again stars as Chris Pratt, a popular college student who struggles to sort things out after a tragic accident. And of course he struggles with the question of guilt regarding the people who were injured or even killed by the accident he caused. Gordon-Levitt is by far the main reason to see the film. He gives a character that could easily have become melodramatic or “gimmicky”, subtlety and dramatic depth.

Chris has trouble organizing actions, and because of this he has to follow therapy in a center for independent living. Simple things like telling him how his day went will get him into trouble. Fortunately, in addition to the center, there is also Chris’ blind roommate Lewis – a beautiful, funny, and non-sentimental role of Jeff Daniels – who wants to help him with this. A handy tip he gives him is to arrange information in a story. After all, “everything is a story”, says Lewis, “It helps us to understand the world”. Another crucial tip from Lewis is to start at the end and work your way back to the beginning. Where should you end up? Funny is the scene in which he urges Chris to reconstruct the fairy tale of Goldilocks in this way. And of course these tips turn out to be invaluable in the later action thriller element.

It’s actually a shame that the film becomes too much of a conventional story in this way, however important this form is for information organization according to Lewis. This ensures that the last act of the film gets bogged down in clichés and improbabilities. The ending is also a bit neat. Not that this brings the movie down much. A great strength of the film is the fact that Chris’s dramatic development always remains central and is the engine of all events. The surprisingly late-movie bank robbery plot has dramatic significance, because of Chris’ motivation for doing so. He wants (by means of the money from the robbery) to gain control over his life, which now seems to hang from loose sand. He doesn’t seem to have a rosy future financially and relationally. Typical is the scene in which “deputy donut”, the cop who brings him donuts to the bank every night, casually remarks that Chris can be happy, that he never has to worry about whining about pregnancies and children (which the agent now has to deal with). It’s meant to be a mild, uplifting joke, but Chris is clearly affected by it. It is one of the pinpricks that eventually prompted him to “go into business” with a gang of bank robbers.

As mentioned, ‘The Lookout’ isn’t perfect. The thriller aspect is predictable and out of tune with the realistic approach to what came before. It is also unfortunate that an important female character disappears from the scene quite suddenly, without explanation. But these are in fact minor criticisms of a film that convinces in its drama, which in turn is mainly due to the excellent portrayal of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. An actor to keep an eye on.