The Lookout (2012)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

In some ways, 'The Lookout' reminded me of the truly awful 'Primer', in that there seemed to be a lot going on, but with the characters only allowed brief scenes and the briefest of conversations to clue you in as to what it was, the odds of you making sense of it all before the credits rolled were so long as to become infinitesimal. Maybe that's just as well, because I suspect neither the director, scriptwriters, or editor(S) had managed to themselves fully join the dots before they'd committed their work to celluloid.The opening heist and Paris city-centre shoot-out, and especially the intriguing use of flashback prologue that preceded it provided enough of a teaser to buy one's interest for at least a good half-hour, but ultimately it only served to leave me cheated, in the way the cruellest of con-tricks does. Successive scenes of gloomy late-night action, and apparent cross and double-cross, might look great on paper, but ultimately, not enough to make one even consider giving it a second - or even third - watch to try to pick up on what you missed, because you quickly realise that what you might have missed was never actually there in the first place.I'd officially given up on French crime cinema about 5 years ago - or whenever the over-hyped and overrated 'The Prophet' was released. I'd determined that all the younger directors were following some template, which usually featured sombre, moody, colours; savage violence - usually including superfluous and titillating misogyny - and slick fast-paced productions designed to compensate for plot-holes.'The Lookout' has all of these - and then some - but 'The Lookout' trumps them all because it has the 'Primer' factor that the other films lacked: "Regardez, mes amis: you don't need to have any coherent plot, because you can use bikini-brief scenes, and half-begun sentences that explain nothing!"This film might be the first truly 'Second Unit' film: it's all about the action, and the slick, fast-paced non-plot, and location shooting. Yes,it features Daniel Auteuil and Mathieu Kassovitz who've done good work in the past, but their presence was required solely to sell the film to a baker's dozen of international financiers. Acting-wise, their presence was superfluous. The presence of so many technicians who are experts in their field might have provided at least a temporary boon to the French film industry, but ultimately I fear it will only become self-defeating, as it will turn off potential viewers.Jean-Pierre Melville must be turning in his grave! (or even pirouetting...!)

I wasn't expecting too much from this film given the previous reviews. That said, other reviewers seemed to really quite enjoy it but, at the same time, awarded a low score?! I didn't find it too predictable (which is my pet hate), though that's largely because I didn't expect it to stray into another genre. The acting, direction, and production were all good. The action was surprisingly brief, which I liked too - more realistic than the twenty minute free-running/car chase scenes to which we're routinely subjected.OK, this film probably employed a sub-plot or two too many, was morally questionable, and, was a bit fanciful, but hey, that's French crime thrillers for you?!

To some extent, the previous posted reviews demonstrate an attempt to save the movie from a harsh criticism. The movie indeed gathers a general vote of 5 out of 10. Sadly, this is justified. You could say the actors are well directed, which is true. D. Auteuil does a smart job, N. Kassovitz is well managed. Also, the bank robbing scene pompously shown in the trailer is intense. Finally the global scenery in Paris is a well depicted. These elements however are not sufficient to make a movie worth a watch - or worth a better vote - without a story. The numerous inconsistencies do not help. I won't unveil any spoiler, but you will ask yourself oh so many times about the storyline being so lazily drawn up, and about the characters' conduct; and you will feel cheated as well. This movie indeed resorts way too much to ellipsis to avoid explanation when it does not simply goes against any obvious choice that a reasonable man would make. And forget about the trailer and the first scene: le guetteur (the sniper) is not a sharpshooter movie, neither is it about the psychology of these type of soldier. It is an excuse to develop a police investigation out of nowhere, on which you will probably still ask yourself how it came up at the end credits.

I enjoyed this french action packed thriller. I would say it is a strange film, weird. Not because of the acting or directing, but because of the story itself. When the movie begins, you can't guess what's going to happen next. No way. There are many subplots and also sub characters. and some sequences seem have been let on the cutting room floor. Some lines sound strange; for instance, what the hell a character like Oilivier Gourmet's one - a sadist - would have done with the hoods who capture Mathieu Kassovitz, just before Francis Renaud saves him?It remains unexplained...Yes, I consider this is a weird film, but I like this. This is unusual. I love this kind of story lines.The ending is rather exciting but although predictable.I guess the director was influenced by Jean Pierre Melville, he picked Bourvil's character's name from LE CERCLE ROUGE - commissaire Matteï. Daniel Auteuil's character is interesting in his hopeless quest of vengeance.A bittersweet film that deserves to be watched.