Most crime films these days have elaborate plots and expensive special effects, said Stephanie Zacharek in Salon.com. The Lookout, by contrast, 'œis so refreshingly straightforward that at first you may not know what to make of it.' Chris (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a brain-damaged janitor in small-town Kansas, gets duped into cooperating in a bank heist. That may remind you of 2001's Memento. 'œBut unlike Memento, this isn't just a puzzle-movie stunt.' Writer-director Scott Frank creates a convincing exploration of what it's like to struggle with a mental disability. But The Lookout's no made-for-TV weepie, said David Edelstein in New York. Frank, who wrote the screenplays for both Get Shorty and Out of Sight knows his way around a crime caper. His knack for dialogue creates idiosyncratic characters that actors can sink their teeth into. The Lookout's nothing more, or less, than 'œa nice, tight genre piece with people you like watching.' Brit Matthew Goode convincingly plays the smooth-talking American who masterminds the plot, said Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times. Isla Fisher's funny and frightening as the former stripper who seduces poor Chris. The film's most 'œunexpected character,' though, proves to be Chris' hilariously opinionated blind roommate, played by Jeff Daniels. Gordon-Levitt's 'œquiet, unaffectedly sympathetic performance' makes sense of the whole understated ballet of bad intentions, riveting our attention as he attempts to overcome his own limitations and his false friends.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
July 21 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump going after the Fed, Superman's immigration papers, and the Colbert canary in the coal mine
-
Thailand's monk sex scandalIn The Spotlight New accusations involving illicit sex and blackmail have shaken the nation and opened a debate on the privileges monks enjoy
-
Who stands to gain – and lose – from 16-year-old voters?Today's Big Question Many assume Labour will benefit but move could 'backfire' if Greens, a new hard-left party or Reform continue to pick up momentum
