REVIEW OF THE LOOKOUT

Fargo, A Simple Plan, are just two examples of great heartland noir but The Lookout has earned a place on the shelf next to them. The trapped characters, dark inner landscapes and rural settings of such films can be mere cliché in the hands of less talented cast and crew. But here we get flesh and blood struggle, solid suspense and writing worthy of one of the most abused of film genres. Of course the difference between real noir and this, is the kind of thing people argue over constantly. The term noir itself has become almost meaningless, applied as it is with an impossibly broad brush til even very good noir styled pieces like The Man Who Wasn’t There seem self referential to the point where they are somewhat hard to take seriously. And that is the real magic here. This is a serious story, invoking serious menace for its characters that rarely if ever comes off a trick that someone played with the shadows. In this small town evil is real, innocence a thing to fear losing and hope exists on the other side, glimpsed almost miragelike in the hazy distance.

.Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in fine form as is the rest of the cast in this compelling crime drama. Levitt plays Chris Pratt a young man whose reckless driving results in the death of his friends and his own bright future. Mentally and emotionally shattered he finds himself employed as the night janitor in his smalltown bank and living with Lewis a blind bohemian who helps him to process the therapy sessions designed to nurture him past the brain damage incurred in the accident.

Determined to make it on his own, he’s befriended by a former classmate who soon shows himself to be interested in more than friendship and reveals a plan to rob the bank if Chris will help. It’s his job to be the lookout.Whether or not Chris will go through with the plan forms a large part of the story. But so does his learning how his decisions affect others. And a major theme in the film has to do with what might be called “walking by faith and not by sight.” To end up where we want in life it helps to keep our eyes on the destination and work back from there.

Jeff Daniels is great as Lewis but then again there are no weak links in the casting. The writing sometimes lapses into form as when we meet a Deputy Dawg whose main purpose to the story becomes evident way too early in the proceedings. But on the whole these aren’t mere good guys and bad guys. In true noir form they are complex multifaceted people who emerge as a mix of good and bad in a world where there are no easy choices. Mathew Goode has an exceptionally nuanced role as Gary the leader of the would-be thieves. A final word about Levitt. He is growing into one of our finest young actors. With The Lookout, Mysterious Skin and Brick behind him I can’t wait to see what lies ahead. This guy has chops to spare and the wisdom to lend his talents to worthy projects.