The Lookout

A Discovery.....

Have you guys heard of this sleepy Heist thriller called the Lookout? A very low profile kinda movie which has gone on to become one of the biggest cult hits on the DVD circuit. Panned by many critics as one of the best movies of 2007, it really is a brilliant effort by debut director, Scott Frank. Run of the Mill story, but the screenplay, acting and camera work really takes it to the next level. I loved it.

Stephen Gordon Levitt plays the title role. Chris Pratt, the popular high school good looking rich brat who has his ‘whole life ripped out from underneath him’ in one deathly car crash. What happens next in his life and how he struggles to cope with his inner demons, his guilt and finally manages to gain the upper hand in this duel forms the backdrop of the whole story. The part where it gets engaging (and where it starts to become that thriller), is a planned bank heist. Where he is enlisted to play the lookout during the job. The same bank where he plays a night janitor because he’s got a short term memory loss after the horrible accident. The entry of Mathew Goode, who plays the antagonist, kinda spices things up and things slowly pick up speed. How Chris stays ahead of the goons in spite of his shortcomings is engaging. But what I loved about the movie were two things –
One, there was not a single wasted sequence or shot. Very measured, all very well-knit together frames.
Two, the opening sequence. Call me a sucker, but the music of the movie which is nothing to write home about, found in me a big fan. I discovered this new band called My Morning Jacket. The opening soundtrack is mindblowing-ly awesome! Such amazing tabs and a full two minutes and eighteen seconds of the gat just jamming away to pure glory. Really nice, you should check the first five minutes of the movie when the opening credits roll on. And of course the digitally created fire-fly sequence. Damn Cute! I sure would love to drive my girl out on a such a night where the sky is lit by stars and fire-flies and nothing else in an open sports car. Sigh!

Take it from me, a big music buff, One Big Holiday by My Morning Jacket is a damn feel-good-track for you to wake up to in the mornings!