lookout

THE FLICK: Actor’s love to act. And they love directors who give them sort of free reign (and egotistical reinforcement) that the Hollywood system tries to crush with extravagant sums of money. Take Steven Soderbergh for instance; a mediocre director who’s managed to become an “A”-player almost purely by means of his thespian networking with the new-millennium rat pack of Clooney, Pitt, Roberts and the rest. One could view this cynically as a play for financial success riding the coattails of one’s betters or more generously as the natural interplay between artists in the mutual best interest of the film. Scott Frank, Soderbergh’s screenwriter on Out of Sight and another successful Elmore Leonard adaptation, Get Shorty, quite obviously subscribes to the latter theory. And his debut film as a director, The Lookout, makes remarkable use of both fresh talent and seasoned pros, navigating them through a series of noir conventions made fresh mostly through the conviction of their performances. Living with the guilt and lingering brain damage of a fatal auto accident that caused the death of several of his friends, Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt of 3rd Rock from the Sun) now works as a janitor at the local bank. Frustrated and easily confused, Chris longs for a return to his normal life, a life of independence and potential, not one dependent on a laundry list of notes and daily reminders to wash his hair, brush his teeth and lock the door. So when he’s lured into a bank heist by a mysterious townie (Matthew Goode) and wooed by a ditzy redhead (Isla Fisher) you just know he’s going to take the bait. And therein lies the magic of Scott Frank’s script, which broadcasts the impending tragedy of this situation, yet still manages to tell the story with subtlety and respect for its characters. Anchoring it all is Jeff Daniels, who never gets quite a much work as he deserves...or maybe he’s just being picky. As Chris’ blind mentor/roommate, Daniels reveals layer after layer of complexity to his character, a flawed but noble figure who knows much more than he’s letting on. The Lookout isn’t particularly deep as heist films go. There’s no montage of bank vaults, ticking clocks or Ocean’s-style banter. In fact, the actual theft itself is almost a foregone conclusion. What’s Frank’s film is interested in is the choices people make and the consequences they endure, not how many bullets are left in their gun. THE FEATURES: Shot on video (although you wouldn’t really know it), The Lookout on Blu-ray still shows a fair share of grain present in the source materials. You’re not going to get a sparkling demo disc here, but you will get a very accurate transfer that handles the subdued color scheme very well. As far as extras are concerned, there’s Sequencing The Lookout – a rather ordinary “Making Of” that covers most of what you want to know. For everything else, look to the audio commentary from Frank and DP Alar Kivilo, which is much more scene specific, as well as the Behind the Mind of Chris Pratt featurette with Gordon-Levitt explaining his approach to the role...and a very meaty one at that.