The Lookout Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Chris Pratt was once a Golden Boy athletic hero in his small Midwestern town. Chris had it all — a beautiful girlfriend, a well-heeled family and a shining future. But after a serious accident, Chris has found himself in a strange new world where the most basic things seem to fall through holes in his memory and nothing quite makes sense. Unable to make it on his own, he lives with his mentor in navigating this surreal life — the wisecracking, fiercely independent blind man, Lewis. For a job, Chris sweeps the floor at the bank waiting for his halted life to come unstuck. Things suddenly shift when he meets Gary Spargo, an old school acquaintance and street philosopher who begins to revive Chris' shattered confidence, even helping him find a stripper — albeit a stripper named Luvlee Lemons. But Gary has bigger plans, and when he recruits Chris into his grand plan to rob the bank where he works, Chris appears to be in way over his damaged head. As the bank heist unravels into chaos, both Chris' uncertain future and even more importantly Lewis' survival are on the line. Now, it's up to this young outcast who can't always think straight to figure out how to outwit and take down his manipulators his own way.
The Lookout is another in a long list of movies that fell flat with audiences, earning precious
few dollars at the box office but scoring huge with critics. Deep, meaningful films like this are often
overlooked by the public at large who pay top dollar to watch the likes of Transformers and
Knocked Up instead. Nothing against those films, but I really wish audiences would start
recognizing films that depend on plot, structure, and thought rather than CGI and relentless crude
jokes for 90 minutes. This movie isn't just about a bank robbery. It's about a young man
struggling to find his place in the world after a tragic mishap forced him out the prominent position
he once held amongst his peers. He must make a choice that could make or break him once again,
only this time using what he has learned since his accident to aid him in his choice. It's watching
him struggle to decide as emotions rage inside of him that makes this film so memorable.
Chris struggles to find his place in the world.
The Lookout is the story of Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 3rd Rock From the
Sun), a young man who, as the story opens, is in a horrific automobile accident nearly
killing him, leaving his girlfriend maimed, and two other friends dead. Four years later, Chris is
continuing to struggle to once again find his place in the world. He was once a popular young
man, a talented hockey player, and a person even his elders looked up to. His mind doesn't work
quite right since the accident. He is still a functioning, good, and mostly independent person who
can hold a job and take care of himself. He needs help, however, not only from notes plastered
throughout his apartment reminding him to turn off the alarm and lock the door, but also with
the help of a notebook and, most importantly, his blind roommate Lewis (Jeff Daniels, Gods and Generals)
who always has good advice for Chris. The two depend on one another, Chris more so on Lewis.
Despite being blind, Lewis prepares meals for Chris and leaves him instructions on the phone on
how to do things around the apartment.
Chris works as a night janitor at a local bank. He has aspirations of doing more. He would like to
be a teller. He has the teller handbook practically memorized and he tries to impress his boss, Mr.
Tuttle (David Huband, Wrong Turn), with his knowledge of teller procedure. Mr. Tuttle
shrugs off Chris' aspirations which accounts in part for Chris' resentment towards both the bank
and the hand he has been dealt in life. One evening he meets Gary
Spargo (Matthew Goode, Chasing Liberty), a man who claims to have dated his sister and
becomes Chris' friend. Unfortunately, Gary's intentions are not pure. He needs Chris to be a part
of a heist at the bank where Chris works. Once Chris has been sufficiently "let in" to the group,
the plan is revealed to him. Chris accepts, partly begrudgingly and partly out of spite for his
father who no longer accepts Chris as he once did. What will follow is the most crucial moment
in Chris' life. Will he cooperate with Gary and his gang or will something happen to change his
heart and this time allow him to make the right decision, saving lives rather than destroying
them in the process?
Simply put, The Lookout is one of the finest films I have seen this year and perhaps the
biggest surprise of 2007 (and of the last few years as well). It's another one I had never heard of
until I saw it on a Blu-ray "coming soon" sheet. The film was touching throughout and intense
in many places, even during sequences where even the first time viewer can predict with great
accuracy what will happen next. Once again, this is another film that draws me in because I
become attached to a character with a troubled past whose heart is struggling to be in the right
place, even in the face of wrongs that the character cannot keep away from. Other such films
include Sling Blade and Beowulf & Grendel.
Chris represents physically what many of us are spiritually, fighting between good and evil,
knowing
the difference but struggling to find answers through the conflict. A cross that is always visible
through a window into the apartment shared by Chris and Lewis represents a sanctuary of sorts
where Chris, despite frustrations, knows he is always safe and welcome. Lewis can easily be seen
as a Christ-like figure, even looking the part with a beard and long hair. He is blind to the
physical world, but easily sees into the souls of all he encounters. When their haven is ultimately
violated, Chris eschews the wrongs in his life completely with the single goal of returning things
to the status quo (restoring good over evil) by any means necessary. This is a fine film that
every viewer will likely find some character or event to connect with. On the surface The
Lookout is a basic tale of the planning and execution of a bank robbery, but the dynamic
character of Chris and his struggle to find meaning results in a compelling and thought provoking
film that left me satisfied with solid entertainment and pondering the thought provoking
messages of the film.
I found no major flaw with this 1080p, 2.40:1 transfer from Miramax. In fact, I'd call it
"top-notch." The film seems rather harshly lit, making everything appear whiter than one would
normally expect. It's a look that suits the film well. The film has a grainy look to it throughout that
also adds a sense of dread and foreboding to the movie. Images are sharp, colors are bold, flesh
tones accurate, and detail is high for the entire 99 minute runtime. This is a true and remarkably
efficient high definition image that really shows off the power of Blu-ray.
The Lookout features a PCM uncompressed audio track running at 6.9 Mbps that is
sufficient if only because there is so little opportunity for a high definition track to strut its stuff
throughout this film. Dialogue is a little bass heavy at times. In the few scenes that are not
composed primarily of dialogue, directionality and flow are top-notch. Near the end of the film the
track gains some momentum and we get some instances of tight rumbling bass and some nice use
of surrounds. The movie is almost entirely dialogue, and it reproduces it well enough. Certainly not
a track that will serve to impress your friends, but it suits the movie well, does the job asked
of it admirably, and is an asset to the overall tone of the film.
Unfortunately, Miramax has chosen not to include a lot of extras for this release. The main
attraction is a commentary track with writer/director Scott Frank and director of photography Alar
Kivilo. This track delves into the technical aspects of the film. As such, unless you are a student of
film, you may find this track rather dull.
Behind the Mind of Chris Pratt (480p, 9:26) is a pretty interesting piece that is a
conversation primarily with actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He discusses preparing for the role and his
insights into the meaning behind the film and Chris' motivations and thought processes. Finally,
Sequencing 'The Lookout' (480p, 19:59) is a fairly standard making-of feature that briefly
takes us from pre-production to wrapping things up as cast and crew discuss what they took away
from the final product.
The Lookout features several memorable characters and an even more memorable story
that not only entertains but leaves viewers with a sense of fulfillment and a desire to take a look at
their own lives and analyze their own actions, wondering if today could be the day that things
change forever. Chris is given a second chance at life and with that second chance come more
choices to be made as he struggles to fight for what he knows to be right in his heart but that the
world tells him is wrong. Chris' personal journey through learning to live once again results in an
enthralling and intellectually stimulating viewing experience that I found very meaningful and
moving. It's packaged as pretty standard stuff, but it's the material that is just under the surface
that's so compelling. Technically, this is a top-notch Blu-ray disc with superior audio and video
quality. Supplements are good but a little more would have been welcome, especially a second, less
technical commentary track that delved more into the meaning of the film rather than the making
of the film. The Lookout comes highly recommended.
