The Lookout

Without Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Lookout would be a jumbled mixture of thriller and drama that struggles for meaningful depth. Fortunately, the young actor’s powerful performance gives the film an intensity it would not otherwise have had.

Levitt plays Chris, a young athlete whose promising career is cut short by a car accident that leaves him mentally disabled. He’s not a vegetable, but his inability to perform simple tasks or communicate with anyone save blind room-mate Lewis (Jeff Daniels) leaves him lonely and frustrated. Then former schoolmate Gary (a magnetic Matthew Goode) breezes into his life, offering Chris the chance to regain some of his former glory.

Scott Frank’s pedigree as a screenwriter is without doubt – Out of Sight, Get Shorty and Minority Report all come from his pen – but he has forced too many ideas into his directorial debut. It’s an emotional drama, it’s a revenge thriller, it’s a heist movie, it’s a buddy flick, and yet it’s none of these things at all. Mixing genres is fine if the narrative is clear, but there are too many interlinking plot-lines and characters here to prevent the neat ending from feeling anything other than contrived.

Levitt’s performance, however, saves the film. It’s a subtle portrayal of a young man alternately angry, sad and frightened that he can no longer make his brain work properly. A heartbreaking moment comes when Chris confidently starts telling his bank manager boss he feels ready to be promoted from cleaner to bank teller, but falters halfway through as he cannot remember the script he has prepared. The genius is in the simplicity. Levitt’s look of utter failure and self-pity as he has to reach for the script on his trusty notepad are worth any number of stuttering verbal tics. In his intensity, Levitt resembles Ed Norton; let’s hope that he doesn’t fall into the same trap of redeeming average movies with transcendent performances. Like this one.

Dan Stewart

Anticipation:

An ice-cold noir thriller from the writer of Out of Sight sounds promising.

Enjoyment:

A killer opening and great work from Levitt, but where is it going?

In Retrospect:

Its mediocrity is made up for by its central performance.