JohnDoe
Bryn
BrentonThe Lookout (2007) - Trailer Included
November 30th 2007 00:00
The Heist of Life
No Australian Release date at the time of writing this review
Starring; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce McGill, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Jeff Daniels, Carla Gugino, Alberta Watson
“Once upon a time, I woke up. I took a shower with soap.” – Chris Pratt
Guilt is crippling, guilt is harrowing and guilt dictates our lives, this is a core theme that grips the synapses in this dramatic thriller of emotional riddles.
“Start at the end. Can’t tell as story if you don’t know how it ends.” – Lewis
As the film begins we meet Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon Levitt), a popular kid with athletic abilities and a youthful indestructible confidence. In the drivers seat with his girlfriend and buddies one dark night he decides to turn the headlights off so the gang can admire a swarm of fireflies.
The tragedy that follows is the catalyst for Chris’s tragic condition, rendering him unable to recall the specific events of that evening. A debilitating vagueness as opposed to amnesia cripples his mind and leaves his reality clouded and personality a mysterious.
Limited in his options after intensive therapy Pratt re-enters society in an attempt to assimilate and make sense of his vacant existence. That’s the hook, to share more would spoil the organic twists to come from manipulation and a bank heist.
“My old man used to say to me, probably the only thing we ever really agreed on, was that whoever has the money has the power. You might wanna jot that down in your book. It's something you're gonna need to remember." – Gary Sprago
The colours of The Lookout
John Doe says:
The central character of Chris may be a merging of Memento’s Lenny and The Machinist’s Trevor Reznik. The similarities end as an involving plot operates in unison with a doomed tone of sombre intrigue to take us on a new exploration into the nature of identity.
A case study in primal human interaction where greed is original sin and the lust for money is the essential tool for survival in modern civilisation. Using dark humour as if it shot from a sniper rifle in the hands of an ambiguous stranger and structured to be pondered while watching, The Lookout occasionally struggles to maintain momentum.
Scott Frank Directing his pawns
If I had to find fault it’s with the pacing around the second act which gets into a haphazard rhythm that isn’t required until the last quarter of the running time. Some people will find the room left for air in the editing as compensation for emptiness, but it is a critical metaphor for Chris’ inner monologue.
Star Joseph Gordon Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) follows up the haunting Mysterious Skin and engrossing Brick with another multi dimensional lead that says more through body language than dialogue. Proving himself one of John Doe’s favourite up and comers his performance here is another exercise in minimalist gesture and emotional detachment.
Flaky Jeff Daniels (Arachnophobia, Purple Rose of Cairo, Radio Days, Timescape, Gettysburg, Pleasantville, Gods and Generals, Goodnight and Good-Luck, Squid and the Whale) seldom gets the opportunity to show his range. As Chris’ only real friend the blind man Lewis, he convinces and also injects smiles amongst the foundation of melancholy.
Isla Fisher ( I Heart Huckabees) is a long way from her Paradise Beach or Home and Away days. She looks fantastic but her limited moments onscreen aren’t as honed as the rest of the cast.
Carla Guigno (Sin City, Entourage, Spy Kids) is under used and her scenes seem superfluous to proceedings. As a saucy parole officer she’s easy to believe but her only real purpose is to show Chris trying to act as normal as he possibly can in an attempt to pick her up.
This is another one of those films John Doe picked up on DVD while he was in the U.S due to a lack of an Australian Cinema release. Shameful really, The Lookout may not be a masterpiece but it certainly warrants a screening and was far more engaging than most over polished, more MTV orientated films of similar intent. (John Doe glares in the direction of Butterfly Effect)
Here is the American Trailer for the film.
Here is a preview for The Lookout with interviews from Director and Star
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