Perhaps it’s a punishment. Perhaps somewhere Karma decided to make Chris pay for his vanity and sheer foolishness by giving him insomnia and taking away all the memories he once had. Or perhaps it’s just a defense mechanism that’s enabling him to forget the horrible night that spawned a massive car crash thanks to him. In any case “The Lookout” is the story of a young man smarter than he once was for the simple fact that he gained this ailment that took away all of the traits that made him who he was in the past. It’s just astonishing how Joseph Gordon Levitt went from one of the many interchangeable child stars, and turned into one of the finest young dramatic actors in years.

From a homosexual prostitute, to a neo-Sam Spade, Levitt can possess bold shades of complexities and darkness that make him a young actor actually worth watching and actually worth his weight in gold. “The Lookout” has been a highly anticipated film from yours truly, and it simply did not disappoint. After a night of heavy partying during his prom, Chris and his friends get into a violent car crash that result in complete and total amnesia. Not only has he lost memories from that night and the years before that, he can barely remember where his utensils are in his house. The only binding element in his life is an older man named Lewis, who is a blind and completely independent bachelor who guides Chris through his turmoil’s with patience and good humor. But the hook here isn’t so much Chris’s lack of memory… or is it? What Scott Frank does is provide us with yet another neo-noir that Levitt aces with sheer precision, as this young man who takes a job as a bank janitor, and finds himself embroiled with a group of folks with a plan on their hands.

Luvlee is sweet and sexy and more than willing to befriend Chris, while Gary constantly watches over with an authoritative presence who constantly influences and encourages Chris and also intends on insinuating himself in his life. One of the truly appealing aspects of Frank’s crime drama is the sheer skilled cast who all provide excellent performances respectively. Isla Fischer is gorgeous and the perfect “too good to be true” femme fatale who ensures the solid grasp on Chris within the fold. The highlights are Jeff Daniels who is hilarious here as Chris’s guardian Lewis who instantly sees through Luvlee and the delusions she sets up around him. Frank keeps “The Lookout” on a consistent pace of mounting tension involved with the potential bank heist, and Chris’s struggles to keep his memory strong while also accidentally stepping into this situation that could ruin the life he’s struggled to rebuild.

Daniels is just perfection here as this wise and all knowing hipster who just can’t be fooled or swindled regardless of the score, and due to his blindness, he simply can’t be enticed by Luvlee. Matthew Goode is fantastic here as usual; psychotic, erratic and just plain shifty and once Frank induces the tension and frantic pacing by the second half, “The Lookout” stands as a truly excellent crime thriller with twists and turns that break all perceptions of characters and archetypes that you will not see coming a bit. Frank doesn’t just set up clichés, he breaks them in two and spits in our face for buying into them, and I enjoyed every moment that knocked me out cold.

Another fine neo-noir starring Levitt with all the facets of the glorious sub-genre, with a dash of “Memento” make Scott Frank’s “The Lookout” an exceptional, beautifully acted, and utterly tense crime thriller that simply doesn’t disappoint.

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