The Lookout
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: March 30, 2007
8.4
USER SCORE
Universal acclaim based on 168 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
144
Mixed:
13
Negative:
11
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
10
ShschMay 1, 2007
I think a lot of the reviews here miss the point. This is not really an action heist movie although there is both action and a heist. Rather this is a character study of Chris Pratt who has to cope with the limitations of his life after I think a lot of the reviews here miss the point. This is not really an action heist movie although there is both action and a heist. Rather this is a character study of Chris Pratt who has to cope with the limitations of his life after suffering severe brain damage as a result of a car accident which he stupidly causes. I was intrigued by the ways he attempts to regain normalcy such as the ability to sequence events and relate to others in a personal way. I think the gradual manner in which the plot reveals the important things you need to know about Chris's pre-accident life, and especially his family, was very effective in holding the viewer's interest. I also thought Isla Fisher was quite sexy and very effective as bait for Chris's attraction to his "new-found friends." I would highly recommend this film. I think you too will be drawn into the movie and hope that its main character Chris will somehow be able to conquer his limits.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
7
SpangleDec 31, 2014
The Lookout is certainly a very interesting film. Directed and written by Scott Frank as his directorial debut after a successful career as a screenwriter beforehand, this one is certainly very well written and he certainly directs it veryThe Lookout is certainly a very interesting film. Directed and written by Scott Frank as his directorial debut after a successful career as a screenwriter beforehand, this one is certainly very well written and he certainly directs it very well. The story is told nicely and it is fun to see everything all come together after being set up. Certainly a very emotional film, The Lookout benefits greatly from strong acting performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, and Matthew Goode. Also, Isla Fisher's beauty is another major strength of this one, haha. The plot and backstory of Gordon-Levitt's character is touching and very interesting, really hooks you right into the film as you want to see how everything plays out. However, in spite of the film's best attempts to avoid being a run-of-the-mill heist thriller, this one does wind up being that in a way even with the interesting back story and twists to the typical elements of the genre. Ultimately, this one is a very enjoyable film that is just extraordinary in any way, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but does prevent it from being rated higher.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
All this user's reviews
9
PWeeklyApr 5, 2007
Honestly, anything Levitt is in is absolutely worth seeing.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
PaulWMar 5, 2008
The look and feel of this movie is that of plastic and so was the acting of many of the young actors including that of leadsman Joseph Gordon-Levitt who's performance was skin-deep throughout the whole ordeal, never showing us anything The look and feel of this movie is that of plastic and so was the acting of many of the young actors including that of leadsman Joseph Gordon-Levitt who's performance was skin-deep throughout the whole ordeal, never showing us anything other than confusion or acted frustration. Jeff Daniels was the only actor able to put some weight into his role as Chris's blind roommate Lewis, the only 'real' character in this movie. At no point during this movie I was even slightly entertained and with it's formulaic plotpoints failing to give this film some momentum and absence of clever dialog, the viewer is rocked asleep like a baby.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
SallyS.Mar 29, 2007
The point is the multi-dimensional characters. the heist grabs us & leaves us wrung out because we care so much for Chris and Lewis. Even the villain & femme fatale are made real, not cardboard plot devices. Make sure you read the manyThe point is the multi-dimensional characters. the heist grabs us & leaves us wrung out because we care so much for Chris and Lewis. Even the villain & femme fatale are made real, not cardboard plot devices. Make sure you read the many excellent reviews, not just the tepid ones. None are really bad, just some wanting more action thrills who don't have the patience to see what's happening here.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
BillC.Mar 30, 2007
Feels similar to Fargo in some ways, but without the comedy undertones.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
JayC.Apr 2, 2007
Excellent acting, especially by Levitt and Daniels. While it seemed inevitible that Levitt's character would get him into such a jam, his determination to act on what he wrote in his notebook (that he had the power, and starting at the Excellent acting, especially by Levitt and Daniels. While it seemed inevitible that Levitt's character would get him into such a jam, his determination to act on what he wrote in his notebook (that he had the power, and starting at the end of the story) were interesting plot devices. Keeps you on the edge of your chair during the last half of a just right length film.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
BilBApr 7, 2007
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I'm not really a fan of Jeff Daniels, but his performance was excellent and I have to give it to him.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
FilmfanApr 9, 2007
Really not very good. First half of film moves WAY too slowly, and bank heist is only about guns, not clever in any way. Ridiculous ending only underscores pointlessness of this film. Three man actors put in very good performances, but for Really not very good. First half of film moves WAY too slowly, and bank heist is only about guns, not clever in any way. Ridiculous ending only underscores pointlessness of this film. Three man actors put in very good performances, but for me this is not nearly enough. At least this is one case where the word on the street worked: the theater was nearly empty.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
PatrickC.May 8, 2007
The movie isn't perfect. Sure Levitt is out of character at times and Daniels might not be blind but the movie is enjoyable. The movie has the right mix of suspense and drama to get you invested in the characters. At the end of the The movie isn't perfect. Sure Levitt is out of character at times and Daniels might not be blind but the movie is enjoyable. The movie has the right mix of suspense and drama to get you invested in the characters. At the end of the movie you'll be happy you went and even hopeful that Levitt with continue his film noir streak. Brick was great, The Lookout is good hopefully his next film will be perfection.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
BillyS.Mar 31, 2007
The Lookout is a great thriller very similar to Memento but it's much more involving because it's not played out in reverse and it moves forward with a smart character driven plot. The technical credits are all excellent especially The Lookout is a great thriller very similar to Memento but it's much more involving because it's not played out in reverse and it moves forward with a smart character driven plot. The technical credits are all excellent especially the camera work of Alar Kivilo, but it's the cast that makes this one of those little gems you know nothing about and then thank the movie Gods that you saw it in a theatre. Joesph Gordon Levitt is well on his way to be the next Johnny Depp. Starting out in t.v. then on to small intelligent independent features like Mysterious Skin and Brick, it won't be long before he's an A-list in demand actor, and rightfully so. Jeff Daniels continues his resurgence after The Squid and the Whale with another well developed role as the blind roommate and Matthew Goode is unrecognizable from his upper-crust Matchpoint role. It's a shame that movies like The Lookout don't get the promotion they deserve because this is a great movie. Come on, Blades of Glory will still be around next week, do yourself a favor and see The Lookout now!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
DanaM.Mar 31, 2007
A slow buildup of tension through the first half of the movie leads to a thrilling finish. Difficult at times to determine what is real and what is imagined. Wonderful character development. Jeff Bridges plays a great role. Worth seeing but A slow buildup of tension through the first half of the movie leads to a thrilling finish. Difficult at times to determine what is real and what is imagined. Wonderful character development. Jeff Bridges plays a great role. Worth seeing but can be disturbing at times.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
PaulK.Mar 31, 2007
Joseph Gordon Levitt delivers another brilliant performance. See this at all costs.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
PatG.Mar 30, 2007
This movie held my attention from the very beginning. It is intriguing, and the characters are interesting. Gordon-Levitt does a believable, understated, and touching job of portraying a damaged character. One reviewer mentioned the This movie held my attention from the very beginning. It is intriguing, and the characters are interesting. Gordon-Levitt does a believable, understated, and touching job of portraying a damaged character. One reviewer mentioned the interesting cinematography, and I second that. At one point I wondered if the exterior of a building was the main character's apartment. Then the neon cross on a building across the street was reflected in a window. So I know it was indeed their building. Many similar touches add to the thoughtfulness of this film. I do recommend it.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
RikS.Apr 2, 2007
If superb acting is what you require, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has got the chops in spades.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
FrankO.Apr 20, 2007
A very good thriller written by Scott Frank. I enjoyed the plot development and sympathized with the end character-Chris Pratt. Highly recommended for the "indy" crowd.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
ShawnC.Apr 6, 2007
Levitt is quite good, as are all the actors, which makes up for a decent if not exactly compelling plot with an unnecessarily contrived back story.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
A-FUNKApr 7, 2007
Levitt is brilliant, the sitution he is put in in this movie just makes him shine!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
kingsXrulzApr 8, 2007
The acting is strong; the story is pretty solid, if predictable in spots; the direction is good, especially the pacing.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
ChadS.Apr 8, 2007
Do we need another bank heist movie? Probably not, but "The Lookout"(in the first scene, you'll realize that the title is a bad pun), with its "Revenge of the Nerds"-like scenario(Gary wasn't a cool kid, nor was Luvlee; Matthew Do we need another bank heist movie? Probably not, but "The Lookout"(in the first scene, you'll realize that the title is a bad pun), with its "Revenge of the Nerds"-like scenario(Gary wasn't a cool kid, nor was Luvlee; Matthew Goode and Isla Fisher) finds a way to make this tired genre seem fresh by focusing on the human drama instead of the crime itself. "The Lookout" is more interested in how thievery gives Chris(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) a new lease on life, rather than wow us with some elaborate plan to raid the vault in fetishistic detail. Chris suspects that his "friends" feel empowered by the table-turning switch for this ex-golden boy who used to rule the school and town. Chris should be paranoid. It's a truism that people like to tear their heroes down(you can tell that purchasing pity doughnuts for Chris stokes Deputy Ted's ego). "The Lookout" might've benefited greatly by knowing how Chris handled his big-man-on-campus notoriety. Should we feel sorry for him? But the film does have an ending that intrigues: Chris' success is the best you could possibly hope for a person with limited intelligence; however, if you were to foreground the crime element in "The Lookout", this happy ending feels bittersweet and ultimately disappointing because it subverts the genre(we're denied the vicarious thrill of...).… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
StuartMApr 25, 2009
This is a wonderful character development movie with enough action in the plot to make it work. You get a great understand of the characters and it really draws you in. Plus the advanced scout team got this movie all wrong. It was about This is a wonderful character development movie with enough action in the plot to make it work. You get a great understand of the characters and it really draws you in. Plus the advanced scout team got this movie all wrong. It was about dealing with brain trauma, and not a revenge of the nerds type movie. The movie shows how Chris is completely fine yet can never have his old life again. It is about Chris' dealing with his accident and how cruel, ruthless, and manipulative people can be.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
2
AshpNov 5, 2007
How anyone can give this film a semie decent score is unbelievable. It laughable plot hinges on someone with memory problems, who regualrly locks himself out of his car, being trusted with the keys to the local bank. The resolution is just How anyone can give this film a semie decent score is unbelievable. It laughable plot hinges on someone with memory problems, who regualrly locks himself out of his car, being trusted with the keys to the local bank. The resolution is just insulting.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JimmyK.Apr 12, 2007
A top-notch thriller with another great preformance Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
HalB.Aug 19, 2007
A breath of fresh air amidst the usual summer rehashing of action-thrillers. A bank heist movie that is about so much more than a robbery. A character-driven plot with an excellent script, cast, locations and photography. This little gem A breath of fresh air amidst the usual summer rehashing of action-thrillers. A bank heist movie that is about so much more than a robbery. A character-driven plot with an excellent script, cast, locations and photography. This little gem should not be missed, except by numbskulls simply looking for another cheap thrill. Gordon-Levitt and Matthew Goode are superbly cast in the leads; with great supporting turns by Isla Fisher (remember her from Wedding Crashers?) and Jeff Daniels. Even MadTV's Alex Borstein has a nice little part... And watch out for "Deputy Doughnut"!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
NickA.Aug 21, 2007
In 1998, George Clooney co-starred alongside then-pop-diva, Jennifer Lopez, in 'Out of Sight,' a film by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh. The film was hailed by critical masses as one of that year
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
DaveN.Aug 21, 2007
Slow, but effective. The acting, script and cinematography are all superior. Somehow, this movie got almost no "buzz" when it came out, but it's worth seeking out as a rental.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
Compi24Nov 28, 2012
A solidly shot, reasonably well-acted crime thriller, featuring some truly intriguing characters in play.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
RekkrFeb 12, 2014
A Solid and at times exceptional film. The performances, particularly Jeff Daniels' as Levitt's constantly captivating blind friend, are all very good - accompanied by some unique and well-executed writing.
While I totally enjoyed the film,A Solid and at times exceptional film. The performances, particularly Jeff Daniels' as Levitt's constantly captivating blind friend, are all very good - accompanied by some unique and well-executed writing.
While I totally enjoyed the film, small detractors include (without spoiling) certain plot elements that lack sufficient explanation or elaboration as well as characters with overly murky motives.
Of course, intentionally withheld information or deliberately raised questions is often desirable - but it's hard to shake the feeling when such gaps in the story give off more of a sense of laziness rather than method or intention.
Aside from this occasional lack of coherence, the film itself is quite worthwhile - providing a small-scale but captivating character-focused drama.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
RalfbergsAug 31, 2016
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It was an okay movie, but I didn't like that most of what happenned, happenned just because the main character made so many bad choices and at the last minute decided to reverse them - should have thought about it before or something. Also there is not much action, so this isn't really your typical heist movie, if it can even be called a heist movie.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
DawdlingPoetNov 25, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is quite a gritty, bleak film, all in all. The characters are well developed generally and I found myself quite engrossed in it by the end. There are a lot of scenes set at night, so its quite dark in general, lighting wise as well as in terms of the story. It felt really quite spooky and had more of a thriller feel to it towards the end - the last half an hour or so being especially gripping, or so I felt anyway. The music (or score) used throughout really added to the tension and it went from feeling more of a character based drama, to a more fast paced action thriller in the last half hour or so. It seemed to be quite detailed in terms of detailing what happens, showing the thinking behind the main characters and how and why they took the actions they did, so you could say its fairly detailed or well thought out anyway. Its certainly not a flashy big budget action film all about car chases and special effects, its much more a character driven drama with more of a focus on the plot detail, which is a good thing in my book.

As the plot develops, I found myself feeling sorry for Chris, his background or history and the predicament he found himself in, although of course I wouldn't agree with being a heist or burgulary accomplice. The other bank robbers are quite impulsive and of course agressive, so for some time I was left unsure of how things would go, where the plot would go next. I thought that some of the dialogue was somewhat poignant, discussions between Chris and his room mate Lewis and I liked that he talked through (via the voice over) his thoughts in his mind, going over various key principles he's told and noted down on paper, which are shown on screen - somehow seeing the handwritten notes adds an extra feeling of connection and understanding in relation to him as a character. I thought it was particularly interesting that this film plot dealt with disability - a somewhat more original angle perhaps on the old bank robbery drama type film? its a tough subject and indeed both physical and mental disabilities are dealt with in this film.

At first, I didn't find this to be especially engrossing and I wasn't sure how good it was going to be - as mentioned, its a bit slow to start and the fact its so darkly lit for the most part can be a bit of a put off, moreso in terms of feeling like you (as a viewer) are in the know ie. aware of whats going on. It is rather gloomy and gritty and as such I don't think this will appeal to everyone but by the end of the film, I found it quite gripping and engrossing, I thought the main character was especially well portrayed by Joseph Gordon Levitt and I was impressed with the plot detail. It is somewhat thought provoking, in terms of the disability angle, how the relevant characters are both viewed and perhaps view themselves and the different emotions conveyed. There are one or two plot twists and the ending is quite quick but overall I found this to be a decent entertaining film - one thats worth sticking with at the start, as it does 'hot up' later on.

I'd recommend this film, as it has a good amount of characterisation, good performances, its quite engrossing and gripping towards the end and its somewhat thought provoking, with a disability theme or angle to an otherwise somewhat tired main plot (that of a bank heist). It is rather bleak, with quite a gritty story and the lighting is quite dark for the most part but other than that, this is a pretty decent film thats worth a watch, at least I reckon so anyway.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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