The Lookout (2007)

Raise your hand if you've seen Brick. For the three of you, all you need to know is that this is just like Brick, but more realistic and with a dash of Memento thrown in. It even stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite under appreciated movie stars. At the surface, there's not much more here than a clever caper film; what sets it apart are the bits when it isn't furthering the conspiracy. Levitt plays a character of beautifully sympathetic vulnerability, turning his side of the film into an examination of how to live and work with a serious disability, while at the same time using that exploitive character trait to overcome the forces out to get him. Mixing a meditation on disability with a scheme flick makes for a damn smart hook, managing to pull you in at the start with surprising tenderness and somber character writing, and use that to build on the twisted narrative. It's not an epic double-cross movie, or a caper classic, but an exceptional example how to take a pair of tired and crusty genres and show there's still a lot of juice there if you know which direction to start from. Levitt needs to be in more movies. And the rest of you should really see Brick.

9 out of 10.