The Lookout

The Lookout stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Chris, a young guy trying to put his life back together after a terrible automobile accident (his fault) in which two people are killed and a third is severely injured. Chris receives a serious head injury that leaves him very unlike the person he once was. Instead of a high-school hockey hero, he's a janitor at a bank. He attends a class that's supposed to help him learn to "sequence," to live an orderly life. His roommate is a blind man (Jeff Daniels, almost unrecognizable behind a bushy beard) who tries to help him, too.

What Chris wants most of all is the one thing he can't have: his old life back. Along comes Gary Spargo, who says he can help Chris get it. Spargo's everything Chris no longer is. He's got a way with women, he's in control, he's sure of himself. And he wants to rob the bank where Chris works.

This isn't really a caper movie, though it has the trappings of one. You know what happens in capers, right? Something always goes wrong.

I thought this had the makings of a nice little noir movie, but it's not noir, not by my definition, anyway, and I can't tell you why without spoiling the whole thing. So, as usual, I'm keeping mum.

What you think of this movie might come down to what you think of Chris. Obviously the filmmakers want you to sympathize with him. I can see why someone might not. Still, this was a worthwhile movie. Different from what you might expect and full of good performances. Check it out.