Friday, February 15, 2008

NMR: The Lookout

What's The Lookout, you say? Well I was just as in the dark as you are now about the film until Richard Roeper (of Ebert and Roeper) put it #3 on his list of best films for 2007. It's an indie crime thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun) as Chris Pratt, a guy who's life became a mess after a car accident left him with a serious head injury. Working as a janitor at a bank in a small Kansas town, he gets manipulated into helping some crooks rob the place, but as usual, nothing goes as planned.

I thought the film was solid, but I'm still in the dark as to what Roeper saw that was so special about it. Most of the characters are well defined (Jeff Bridges does a nice job as Pratt's blind roommate) and the story keeps you involved. But at the end of the day, I saw nothing terribly unique or captivating about the film. I've heard some comparisons to Memento, which is an injustice to that film. I'd more closely compare it to Fargo, which was a solid movie, but nothing that I would go out of my way to rave about. Stil, if you're looking for a crime thriller, this is certainly a good choice. However, if you don't see it, it won't be like you're missing out on some piece of cinematic history. Netflix rating: ****

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