The Lookout is one of the best examples of a generally well-produced movie, that for unknown reasons, just tries to do too much with the storyline and by the conclusion ends up looking pretty ridiculous. By the end of the first act, astute viewers will begin to get that nagging, creeping feeling that the whole storyline is just built on a set of coincidences and happenstances .... and they'd be right.
Consider: The escaping bandits just happen to go to the home of a serial killing doctor, by chance, because Nico happens to be wounded. Yet later on, we are told Franck planned the whole thing? Exactly how?
Still unclear how Franck knew how to get to Catherine. And BTW, you'd think that she'd take a bit more care entering the flat at night, when the previous night Kaminsky had surprised her by breaking in.
Kaminsky magically escapes from prison, when he's involved in a fight in the prison yard ... but we're never shown how it occurs We just have to accept this happens. Duh!
Nico and the escapee from Franck's country hideaway, just run wildly away from the pursuing Franck. The armed Nico has plenty of opportunities to shoot Franck when he's out in the open, but waits (while he continues to lose blood) till they're in the woods, wastes his bullets and predictably dies.
Mattei, the pursuing cop, had a son, who just happened to be in the army and was killed by Kaminsky (apparently for good reason).
There is another sniper attack at the end, but we see it's not Kaminsky, it's someone else. Who the hell is this guy and who set him up, as by this time "mastermind" Franck is well and truly in custody?
Mattei just wanders off into nowhere supposedly chasing who he thinks is Kaminsky and leaves his injured colleague in the car with a serial killer??? Hello!!! Just absurd! Then of course at the end he lets Kaminsky go, even though he's supposed to be a cop-killer. (I actually don't think he killed any cops, just wounded them, but other characters mention dead cops.)
It's like director Michele Placido wanted to try and fit 2 or 3 different stories into a 90 minute running time. I wouldn't have liked being an editor on this film being asked to continually try to make sense of impossible scenarios . The old story rings true here. If too many cooks spoil the broth, too many ingredients spoil the dish! Have given The Lookout a generous 5, but on reflection it probably should have been lower. It's a big disappointment.
Consider: The escaping bandits just happen to go to the home of a serial killing doctor, by chance, because Nico happens to be wounded. Yet later on, we are told Franck planned the whole thing? Exactly how?
Still unclear how Franck knew how to get to Catherine. And BTW, you'd think that she'd take a bit more care entering the flat at night, when the previous night Kaminsky had surprised her by breaking in.
Kaminsky magically escapes from prison, when he's involved in a fight in the prison yard ... but we're never shown how it occurs We just have to accept this happens. Duh!
Nico and the escapee from Franck's country hideaway, just run wildly away from the pursuing Franck. The armed Nico has plenty of opportunities to shoot Franck when he's out in the open, but waits (while he continues to lose blood) till they're in the woods, wastes his bullets and predictably dies.
Mattei, the pursuing cop, had a son, who just happened to be in the army and was killed by Kaminsky (apparently for good reason).
There is another sniper attack at the end, but we see it's not Kaminsky, it's someone else. Who the hell is this guy and who set him up, as by this time "mastermind" Franck is well and truly in custody?
Mattei just wanders off into nowhere supposedly chasing who he thinks is Kaminsky and leaves his injured colleague in the car with a serial killer??? Hello!!! Just absurd! Then of course at the end he lets Kaminsky go, even though he's supposed to be a cop-killer. (I actually don't think he killed any cops, just wounded them, but other characters mention dead cops.)
It's like director Michele Placido wanted to try and fit 2 or 3 different stories into a 90 minute running time. I wouldn't have liked being an editor on this film being asked to continually try to make sense of impossible scenarios . The old story rings true here. If too many cooks spoil the broth, too many ingredients spoil the dish! Have given The Lookout a generous 5, but on reflection it probably should have been lower. It's a big disappointment.