The Lookout
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The Lookout is a 2007 American crime film written and directed by Scott Frank, in his directorial debut, and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Bruce McGill, and Isla Fisher.

Plot

Driving at night with his lights off, high school sports star Chris Pratt crashes into a combine stalled on the road. Two of his passengers are killed, while he and his girlfriend Kelly survive. The crash leaves Chris with lasting mental impairments, including anterograde amnesia and anger management issues.

Four years later, Chris takes classes to learn new skills, including the simple sequencing of daily tasks to compensate for his inability to remember, and keeps notes to himself in a small notebook. Challenged by a tough case manager to build a life despite his injuries, he is emotionally supported by his roommate, a blind man named Lewis, but receives only financial support from his wealthy family. Chris works nights cleaning a small-town bank, and his only friend besides Lewis is Ted, a Sheriff s Deputy who checks in on Chris regularly. Chris repeatedly tries to convince the bank s manager, Mr. Tuttle, to allow him to apply for a teller job, to no avail.

Chris comes under the scrutiny of a gang planning to rob the bank. Their leader Gary, who knew Chris from high school and resented his wealth and popularity before his accident, befriends him and uses a young woman, Luvlee Lemons, to seduce him. Taunted by the gang about his limitations since the accident, Chris initially goes along with their scheme. His frustrations trickle down into confrontations with Lewis and Ted.

When the gang arrives the night of the robbery, Chris tells them he has changed his mind, but is forced to empty the vault at gunpoint. Bringing Chris doughnuts, Ted stumbles upon the robbery. Realizing they ve been discovered, one of the robbers, Bone, begins shooting. Ted kills two of the robbers, Marty and Cork, and seriously wounds Gary before Bone maneuvers around and shoots Ted in the back, executing him with a second shot. Escaping in the getaway car, Chris realizes he has the stolen money, and is compelled to return to the site of his accident, where he buries the money. Gary, seriously wounded, escapes with Bone. Returning to his apartment, Chris sees the lights on and realizes something is wrong. He calls and learns Gary and Bone have taken Lewis hostage to get the money back. Chris, using his new sequencing skills, hatches a plan to stay alive and save his friend, but the robbers catch him napping at the arranged meeting place and force him to take them to the buried cash.

While Chris digs in the snow for the money, Gary s condition deteriorates. Chris gives one of the two bags to Bone, who is preparing to execute Lewis, but Chris kills Bone with the shotgun stashed in the other bag. Gary collapses and dies. Chris returns the money and turns himself in, but the FBI investigation concludes that he was not responsible due to his mental condition and, because the robbers failed to disconnect the video surveillance, the FBI was able to see Chris was forced to act at gunpoint.

Chris and Lewis reconcile and open a restaurant together with a loan from the bank. Chris hopes Kelly will forgive him for the loss of her leg in the accident and that one day he will find the courage to talk to her again.

Cast

  • Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Chris Pratt
  • Jeff Daniels as Lewis
  • Matthew Goode as Gary Spargo
  • Bruce McGill as Robert Pratt, Chris s father
  • Isla Fisher as Luvlee Lemons, a woman Gary uses to seduce Chris
  • Carla Gugino as Janet, Chris s caseworker
  • Alberta Watson as Barbara Pratt, Chris s mother
  • Alex Borstein as Mrs. Lange
  • Sergio Di Zio as Deputy Ted
  • David Huband as Mr. Tuttle
  • Laura Vandervoort as Kelly
  • Greg Dunham as Bone
  • Morgan Kelly as Marty
  • Aaron Berg as Cork

Production

Although set near Kansas City, Missouri, the bank in the movie was filmed in the town of Hartney, Manitoba, using the town s Museum, and city scenes were filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Most notably, scenes of the skating rink were filmed behind the Millennium Library, and the exterior of Chris s apartment was filmed in the Exchange District and various historic sites in Winnipeg including the Bank of Montreal (1911–13), the Ambassador Apartments (1909), the interior of the Market Building (1899) and the James Ashdown House at 529 Wellington (1913). The Ambassador Apartments appear on the film s poster.

Reception

The Lookout received critical acclaim. The film has earned an aggregated score of 87% at Rotten Tomatoes (169 reviews), with the critical consensus The Lookout is a genuinely suspenseful and affecting noir due to the great ensemble cast and their complex, realistic characters, a 73/100 at Metacritic (33 reviews), and B at Yahoo Movies (13 reviews). Particularly favorable reviews came from Richard Roeper and Leonard Maltin, who praised the film as the best movie so far of the first half of 2007.

The Lookout won the award for Best First Feature at the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards.

Soundtrack

The score was composed by James Newton Howard and was his first collaboration with director Scott Frank. Frequent collaborators Stuart Michael Thomas and Clay Duncan are credited with additional music. The score was orchestrated by Brad Dechter, Stuart Michael Thomas, and Chris P. Bacon, who also conducted. Several songs were featured including One Big Holiday and Lay Low , both performed by My Morning Jacket.

Year 2007
ReleaseDate 2007-03-30
RuntimeMins 99
RuntimeStr 1h 39min
Plot Chris is a once promising high school athlete whose life is turned upside down following a tragic accident. As he tries to maintain a normal life, he takes a job as a janitor at a bank, where he ultimately finds himself caught up …
Awards Awards, 1 win & 11 nominations
Directors Scott Frank
Writers Scott Frank
Stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode
Produced by Gary Barber,Roger Birnbaum,Becki Cross Trujillo,Jonathan Glickman,Laurie MacDonald,Laurence Mark,Ivan Oyco,Walter F. Parkes
Music by James Newton Howard
Cinematography by Alar Kivilo
Film Editing by Jill Savitt
Casting By Marcia Ross
Production Design by David Brisbin
Art Direction by Dennis Davenport
Set Decoration by Stephen Arndt
Costume Design by Abram Waterhouse
Makeup Department Alanna Holder Riches,Gail Kennedy,Amanda Kuryk,Jennifer Machnee,Brenda Magalas,Beth Ann McIvor,Barry Olafson,Vincent Sullivan
Production Management Jeffrey Chernov,Becki Cross Trujillo,Regina Robb,Rebekah Rudd
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director Richard Coleman,Charles Crossin,Richard Duffy,Martin Ellis,Richard Duffy
Art Department Ricardo Alms,Aaron Anderson,Billy Baker,Ryan Berzuk,Owen Bird,Lloyd Brandson,Nick Burns,Greg Gardner,Charles Gustafson,Megan Heke,Jon Hunter,Jason Kenett,Debbie Kuzina,Bill Nicholls,Gord Peterson,David Potter,Brian Smith,Chris Sol,Larry Spittle,Mark Stratton,Tiffany Taylor,Jason Wilkins,Heather Brown,Ryan Koreen
Sound Department Don Baker,Robert Batha,Kelly Cabral,Paul Timothy Carden,Melissa A. Corns,David E. Fluhr,Gabriel Guy,Leon Johnson,Doc Kane,Elizabeth Kenton,Nancy MacLeod,Stan Mak,Myron Nettinga,Thomas J. O’Connell,Edward M. Steidele,Lauren Stephens,Jerry Trent,Christopher Cleator,Stephen W. Potter,Chris Trent
Special Effects by Robyn Bodin,Kris Bowman,Mark Burym,Kristin Dunn,Fred Ferjan,Mark Gebel,Colin Hunter,Arthur Langevin,Rocco Larizza,Darrell Leschasin,Grant MacDonald,Jim McFall,Jim McGillivary,Laird McMurray,Craig McWade,Shane Million,Cameron Patterson,Ryan Patton,Muhammad Rana,Martin Samiloff,Jimi Campbell
Visual Effects by Jamie Baxter,Steve Caldwell,Dennis Dorney,Mark Dornfeld,Michele Ferrone,Adam Gass,Laurie Powers Going,R.J. Harbour,Shaina Holmes,Lori C. Miller,Lillani E. Moran,Ryan Beadle,Samuel M. Dabbs,Jeremy Lang,Everette Webber,Amani Williams
Stunts Robert Borges,Mario De Negri,Matt Kippen,Jacqueline Loewen,Trevor Peluk,Wade Poplawski,Steven Ritzi,Chuck Robinson,Darren Ross,John Sampson,Kristen Sawatzky,Dan Skene,Rick Skene,Sean Skene,Ken Zilka
Camera and Electrical Department Dominique Balcaen,François Balcaen,Russel Bowie,Gabriel Daniels,Allen Fraser,Ron Goodman,Vanessa Ireson,Steve Kolodziej,Jason Luke,Anthony Nocera,Monty Rowan,Rob Rowan,Terry Thiessen,Rick Thomas,Mark Willis,Jaclyn Young,Randy Zacaruk,Cary Cooper,Reil Munro,Rebecca Sandulak,Clint Silzer,Seth Thomas
Casting Department Robin D. Cook,Mariquita Demira,Kathy Driscoll,Janet Farris,Jennifer Koenig,Kate Lacey-Kiley,Hollie Lee,Elizabeth Moore,Leslie-Ann Reale,Kari Rieger,Millie Tom,Eleanor Erum
Costume and Wardrobe Department Carolyn Bradshaw,Paula Dunfield,Karen Kristalovich,Benjamin Raine,Amy Sztulwark
Editorial Department Diedra Bayne,Adam Brailsford,Christopher Kutcka,Bob Peishel,Jeff Smithwick,Everette Webber,Lee Wimer,Ofe Yi
Location Management Milt Bruchanski,Michael Cowles,Bernard Narvey,Dimitrius Sagriotis,Steve St. Louis,Cliff Sumter,Janelle Dufton,Andrew Gallinger
Music Department Chris Bacon,Mat Bartram,Becky Bentham,Mark Berrow,Chris Clad,Chris Cozens,Brad Dechter,George Doering,Thomas S. Drescher,Clay Duncan,Richard Grant,Tanya Noel Hill,Charles Martin Inouye,Alex Kharlamov,Michael Landau,Alan Meyerson,Everton Nelson,Dean Parks,John Robinson,Pamela J. Sollie,Neil Stubenhaus,Stuart Michael Thomas,Greg Vines,Mel Wesson,Bruce White,Warren Zielinski,Stuart Michael Thomas
Script and Continuity Department Patricia Jagger,Ashley Kravitz
Transportation Department James Alexander,Dale Bracken,Jason LaFrance,John Mysyk,Edgar Ozolins,Scott Quantrell,Julia Diana Cereceda,Corey Walker
Additional Crew Rhia Alcantara,Pia Athayde,Roxane Becker,Shaun Braswell,Dave Brown,Kim Buttlar,Michael Chirsky,Paul Courchaine,Brenda Cross,Blanche Aurore Duault,Jilene Dyck,Wayne Glesby,Lieve Jansen,Suzanne Jurva,Crystal Mikoluff,Kimberly Mikoluff,Celene Miles,Mimi Munson,Diane Slattery,Riyoko Tanaka,Marlena Thomas,Chris Turyk,Matt Webber,Erin Weiss,Khali Wenaus,Jerry Adams,Shelly Anthis,Julie Black,Brian Bruskrud,Eileen Gano,Michael J. Harker,Allan McGowan,Benjamin R. Reder,Jessica Scott,Tara A. Senior,Ryan Wuckert
Thanks Sarah Brookfield,Billy Golfus,Phil Joanou,Janet Williams
Genres Crime, Drama, Thriller
Companies Miramax, Spyglass Entertainment, Laurence Mark Productions
Countries USA
Languages English
ContentRating R
ImDbRating 7
ImDbRatingVotes 58972
MetacriticRating 73
Keywords female nudity,amnesia,sex,casual sex,seduction