DVD Review: The Lookout

The heist genre hasn't been shaken up in a long time, and The Lookout doesn't set out to try and reinvent the wheel. Instead we get a wonderful character piece within a genre that has had all of its avenues explored. Instead or unique twists, what makes the entire movie work is the relationship and bond we begin to form with the characters that inhabit the story. Because these types of movies are so run of the mill these days that it's nice to see a movie acknowledge it's limitations and try to get our attention from a new angle.

After a horrific car accident, Chris Pratt's life has changed completely. The former all-pro hockey player now finds common everyday tasks as hurtles he has to jump over just go go about his normal day. The head injury that he attained cases a lot or memory and sequencing issues, making simple daily tasks like getting ready in the morning very hard. Even his daily routine hinges on his ability of building repetition and familiarity.

It's not the actual tasks that he forgets, it's remembering them after the fact. Every day is a new beginning to him, relying on his small notebook to remember things like using soap in the shower or something someone said to him in passing. Working the night shift at a bank as a janitor, he continuously tries to talk the manager in to giving him a chance as a teller so he can apply to the executive training program. Hoping for someone, anyone to see him as an equal and not a handicapped liability.

And it's all of these factors that makes him a perfect fall guy for a group of crooks, lead by a seedy character named Gary who plan on robbing the bank. As they con him into a friendship he doesn't know is a facade and sweet talk him into helping them carry out their plan, it's not until he's too far in that he realizes what's happening and needs to stop them.

The best thing about the movie is Chris. The character is someone who would have been arrogant and egotistical had he never been in the accident but when that's all stripped away, he's humanized and we start to care for him. Not pitty him, simply see what a kind and gentle person he's become and then we know what Gary and his crew are planning to do to him. It's almost painful watching Chris slowly catch up to what is happening, and when he finally does it's too late to turn back. But the single most painful thing about him is that his memory won't let him forget that night when everything changed, wen two friends died and his girlfriend left crippled. Since it's the last thing he can remember in complete clarity, it haunts him day and night.

Not to mention the performance by Gordon-Levitt, which is single handedly the best work he has ever done. The small little nuances that he puts in to his performances, from the way he changes to tone of his voice to drifting off in a conversation, are examples of method acting at its very best. The movie also features memorable work by Jeff Daniels as Chris' blind roommate.

Scott Frank, who wrote and directed the film, has put forth one heck of a directorial debut. The writing contains some of the most thoroughly enjoyable dialogue and character interactions that I've seen all year. The Lookout leaves the plot to the background, where it belongs, and allows the characters to drive the story, even the colorful background characters are allowed to shine here. The Lookout is one of the most enjoyable and well put together films of the year so far, and puts a great spin on both the heist and noir genres.

The DVD

Video:
(Presented in 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
The movie was filmed using the Panasonic Genesis HD camera, around the same time as both Superman Returns and Apocalypto used the same equipment. And if The Lookout tells us one thing, it's that these cameras are much better suited for smaller films that don't require such epic scope. The only problems found on the DVD are a few instances were grain is noticeable and the occasional dark scene where detail is lost, but both of those are well known problems with digital photography. Action is another things that is problematic with the Genesis camera, another common hitch with HD cameras. Apart from those problems that the creators had no real control over, the film looks beautiful on disc, and its superb cinematography is shown in glorious detail.

Audio:
(English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround)
James Newton Howard's magnificent score has never sounded better than through this audio mix. That coupled with the actors dialogue coming through without any interference and a nice mix when guns start shooting make for a very nice movie watching experience.

Extras:
Audio Commentary - Writer/Director Scott Frank and Director of Photography Alar Kivilo sit down to discuss the film and its look. They don't waste the track with mundane information, instead they talk at great lengths about finding the look of the movie. Like how hard it was to set up shots and how they would improvise on set if their initial ideas weren't possible, or the troubles they encountered due to the weather. The track is certainly going to attract people who like to get an inside look at the more technical aspect of filmmaking, but people who just want to know how fun it was on set will probably be disappointed.

Sequencing The Lookout (19:58) - Unlike most of these "making of" type extras, it tries to cover all of the important topics. starting out with the cast and crew talk about the film and how they got attached to the film and subsequently prepared for their roles. We then get a look at the lengthy pre-production the film went through (it had been stop and go for over a decade before they actually got a chance to shoot). They then cover the shooting of the movie and what it was like on set. It's a well made piece that would have been even better had they been able to stretch it out to an hour.

Behind the Making of Chris Pratt (9:26) - This featurette is a very fascinating look at how actor Joseph Gordon Levitt worked to find the Chris character. He shares how he would interact with and observe people that have suffeed similar head trama like the Chris character. Joe also talks about the film and how he's glad that the director and producers didn't try to add a "happy ending" to the movie where Chris was miraculously normal again. Showing great pride and dedication in his work, Levitt will be a person to watch for years to come.

Final Thoughts:
As one of the years best, this is an obvious recommendation. It's just a shame that Buna Vista (Miramax) didn't add some more extras or even give it a better marketing campaign, because they have a winner here that will please all different types of audiences. The DVD is a buy, but not exactly Top Shelf material either.

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