A guy with brain damage, his blind roommate and a bank ripe for robbery. Doesn't sound like much. But wait till you see the spellbinding work that Scott Frank makes of it. If you don't know Frank, he's the screenwriter who crafted two of the best-ever adaptations of Elmore Leonard novels, OUT OF SIGHT and GET SHORTY. Now, in a knockout directing debut, Frank cooks up his own mischief. The web he spins will pull you in. Guaranteed. (...) The psychological underpinnings of the suspense benefit from cinematographer Alar Kivilo's artful blend of light and shadow and from composer James Newton Howard's moody, alluring score. But THE LOOKOUT is Frank's show. He's crafted a haunting and hypnotic film that transcends pulp by creating characters that get under your skin. Frank is a director to watch. More, please, and soon.

• http://www.rollingstone.com

Après avoir subi un important choc crânien lors d’un accident de la route, un jeune homme devient la proie d’une arnaque. Telle se résume la trame narrative de ce long métrage écrit et réalisé par Scott Frank, scénariste de plusieurs films à succès dont OUT OF SIGHT et MINORITY REPORT. À mi-chemin entre le drame humain et le thriller, THE LOOKOUT, qui a été tourné à Winnipeg, ne réussit que trop rarement à émouvoir et à réellement captiver. L’intrigue manque de cohérence. Sans doute aurait-il été souhaitable de développer davantage la psychologie du héros en perte d’autonomie plutôt que le coup monté invraisemblable. Dommage pour Joseph Gordon-Levitt qui, dans le rôle principal, offre néanmoins une prestation vibrante.

• http://www.icimontreal.com

"Lean and effective" might not be the definitive description appended to Scott Frank's Midwestern heist drama THE LOOKOUT, but it is as good a place to start as any since it's also a good description of star Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance. (…) A stark, efficient wintertime crime drama in the tradition of A SIMPLE PLAN, this heist-flick-turned- character-study is quietly effective. Gordon-Levitt, in making Chris reach for something he can't quite grasp, displays a craftsman's touch, and the rest of the cast, in muted bursts of screen time, also do their jobs well. An exemplar of writerly style and nuance, Frank, a screenwriter famous for adapting Elmore Leonard, has created a heist film that, in being complex by being simple and believable, is as real as this kind of thing is likely to get.

• http://www.hour.ca

Le scénario de THE LOOKOUT est particulièrement bien ficelé, voire trop. Par exemple, la règle de Tchekhov voulant qu'on ne mette pas un fusil sur la scène si personne ne va s'en servir est respectée à la lettre. On y retrouve aussi une maîtrise visuelle surprenante pour un premier film, mais s'expliquant par l'apport du directeur photo Alar Kivilo, qui établit une atmosphère lugubre par la façon dont il filme les champs enneigés du Midwest, comme il l'avait fait dans UN SIMPLE PLAN. Reste que la grande force de ce thriller se trouve dans ses personnages, moins marrants que ceux écrits par Elmore Leonard, mais d'autant plus émouvants.

• http://www.voir.ca

Vet scriptwriter Scott Frank makes a more-than-promising debut as a feature helmer with THE LOOKOUT, a stealthy neo-noir drama that isn't afraid to take its time developing characters on the way to the payoff of a neatly designed caper scenario. (...) Pic is sensationally gripping during an extended latenight sequence in the bank, as Frank ratchets up suspense with familiar tropes and at least one jolting surprise; scripter is quite adept at planting early portents, and the Law of Chekhov's Gun - i.e., never introduce a firearm unless you intend to use it - is acknowledged here. One complaint: A major supporting character simply disappears from the action, never to be seen or even referenced again. Well-cast supporting players, including Bruce McGill as Chris' tough-loving father, Sergio Di Zio as a friendly deputy sheriff and (briefly) Carla Gugino as Chris' case worker, serve the story well. Pic also boasts evocative lensing by Alar Kivilo (...) and an insinuating score by James Newton Howard.

• http://www.variety.com