The Lookout
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: March 30, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
27
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
If you enjoyed any of Frank's previous work, or thought "Brick" was the bomb, you'll love this. Read full review
90
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
Gordon-Levitt's worth the admission all by his lonesome. He's that good--the proverbial young man with an old soul who brings unexpected depth, complexity, and sincerity to what could have been just another damaged-guy role. He's the one to look out for. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter Travers
The Lookout is Frank's show. He's crafted a haunting and hypnotic film that transcends pulp by creating characters that get under your skin. Read full review
88
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Rarely does a first-time director make as auspicious a debut as Scott Frank has done with the haunting, engrossing and intelligent thriller The Lookout. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Nobody can play stupid better than Daniels – think "Dumb and Dumber" – and, as it turns out, few can play smarter. He's a sharp asset in a sharp movie. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
The Lookout's thriller elements could stand to be more surprising, but they're ultimately in service of a better understanding of the characters. Usually, it's the other way around. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe Leydon
A stealthy neo-noir drama that isn't afraid to take its time developing characters on the way to the payoff of a neatly designed caper scenario. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
Frank's writing is razor-sharp, his filmmaking whistle-clean. As a fan of sharp razors and clean whistles, I enjoyed The Lookout--yet I did feel let down by the climax, which ought to have been blunter and messier and crazier and more cathartic. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
The Lookout is funny, tender and littered with elegantly written characters played by actors cast for goodness of fit rather than star wattage. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
A writer's thriller. True, it's cleanly and efficiently directed, and it showcases some crackerjack acting, but the reason it's a real pleasure to watch is that a writer's sensibility is the foundation everything is built on. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
We saw what Mr. Gordon-Levitt could do in such diverse films as "Mysterious Skin" and "Brick," and in the TV sitcom "3rd Rock From the Sun." But this performance is something else. It's unforgettable.
80
SalonStephanie Zacharek
So refreshingly straightforward that at first you may not know what to make of it. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Frank's dialogue owes a little something to Elmore Leonard, but it's less comic and heavily brocaded. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
More of a leisurely paced ensemble character-study than the slam-bang traditional action gut-buster that its trailer seems to promise. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Though The Lookout is eventually a genre film, with a tense, bang-up ending, it is also a thoughtful study of a young man trying to make sense of a world that he is having to learn all over again. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
A solidly above-average thriller. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Promises minor pleasures and delivers them. In the process, it's gracious enough to kick in a few extras: a nifty central gimmick, a self-effacing lead performance, and a big slice of ham from supporting actor Jeff Daniels . Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Coolly crafted crime thriller. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
A smart, engrossing thriller in which you care as much about the characters as the crime. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
A sensitive coping drama after all, while still serving up that noirish heist flick with comic flourishes. That's some range, and in 99 succinct minutes too: Most pictures would be lucky to do half as much in twice the time. Read full review
75
PremiereGlenn Kenny
With his directorial debut, screenwriting stalwart Scott Frank concocts a compelling variation on a reliable film noir convention. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Exactly the right length. That sounds like faint praise, but isn't it rare? Many movies drag past the points where they should stop; others end abruptly, leaving you to wonder at things unexplained or unconcluded. Read full review
70
The New York TimesMatt Zoller Seitz
Mr. Frank’s screenplay for The Lookout was long considered one of Hollywood's great unproduced scripts. The end product doesn't justify that buildup...Still, there's a lot to like here, and the film's bleak setting and empathetic tone add interest to what could have been a by-the-numbers affair. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleJosh Rosenblatt
The Lookout marks Frank's directorial debut after years of working as a screenwriter on movies like "Get Shorty" and "Out of Sight," and though his new movie may lack the sexual tension and bubbly wit that elevated those films to rarefied heights, there's a newfound, and not unwelcome, sobriety to his writing. Read full review
67
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
The way Frank structures and directs this film, it's too predictably "unpredictable." Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The movie's anti-climatic resolution in concert with the holes left by the occasionally untidy script result in The Lookout not living up to its promise. Compared to some of Frank's past projects, this is a tepid offering. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldBob Strauss
The Lookout boasts some very interesting, original performances. They make this noirish, bank-heist caper intriguing, but in some ways they actually work against making it believable. Read full review
60
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
The dour, downbeat story eventually spirals into grisly Grand Guignol and contrivance. Still, Gordon-Levitt is superb, and Jeff Daniels delivers a wry and wily performance as Pratt's blind roommate. Read full review
60
Film ThreatMark Bell
It is worthy of your time, simply because of the brilliant acting and the first and final acts but... the middle of the film feels like an endurance challenge. Read full review
60
EmpireAlan Morrison
Plot holes and a mixed tone lessen the impact but Gordon-Levitt holds it together with a strong lead performance. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A thriller that wheezes along on bits and pieces of ''character.'' Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Sleekly tooled but eminently forgettable thriller. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle Smith
Combines the sweet strangeness of "Fargo" with the existential panic of "Memento" and some Elmore Leonard tough talk. It all creates a cinematic tummy ache. Read full review
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