Alongside Levitt are some equally as strong performances, particularly on the part of Jeff Daniels, who plays Chris’ blind roommate Lewis. His look reminded me eerily of Jeff Bridges as “The Dude” in The Big Lebowski, only less drunk and more blind. Daniels lends a tasteful air of comedy to an otherwise dark plot. Matthew Goode is also very solid as Gary, the smooth talker who lures Chris into a web of deceit. He has an edge about him that we first saw shades of in Match Point, an edge that is more fully realized in this particular role.

What binds it all together is the script by writer/director Scott Frank. While it is a somewhat formulaic and predictable thriller, it never ceases to be engaging. Even though logic tells us how Chris’ journey must end, we are still interested in sticking around to find out exactly what happens. The dialog is razor sharp, the characters are rich and did I mention that Isla Fisher plays a former stripper turned contract whore? That by itself is enough reason to see this flick if you are like me. If you aren’t like me, then you will find plenty of other reasons to catch The Lookout, and while I don’t think it lives up to the mammoth hype from SXSW, it does not fall short of being entertaining.

Final Grade: B-