By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

“The Lookout” (Miramax Home Entertainment/Spyglass)—Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to evolve into one of the finest actors of his generation. Following breakthrough performances in “Brick” and the gay-themed “Mysterious Skin,” Gordon-Levitt outdoes himself in writer Scott Frank’s excellent directorial debut “The Lookout.”

Going on the premise of “whoever has the money has the power,” “The Lookout” tells the riveting story of Chris (Gordon-Levitt), who, four years after a life-altering car accident in which two of his friends are killed while he was driving, is still piecing the fragments of his life together. The nature of the head injury that he suffered wiped out most of his memory and by day he attends classes at a life skills center in Kansas City where he is learning to deal with his sequencing and memory issues. Constantly frustrated, he just wants to be who he was. Until he is fully rehabilitated he lives with visually impaired roommate Lewis (a wonderful Jeff Daniels), receives partial financial support from his well-to-do parents and works nights cleaning a bank. A high school hockey hero prior to his accident, Chris is well known in town and thus attracts the attention of a quartet of lowlifes, led by Gary (Matthew Goode), who are planning a bank robbery. Using former classmate and ex-stripper Luvlee (Isla Fisher) as bait, Chris is lured into Gary’s gang, but on the night of the break-in at the bank where he is employed, when things go horribly wrong, a power shift occurs, leading to a series of unexpected events. DVD bonus features include the making-of featurette “Sequencing The Lookout” and the short “Behind the Mind of Chris Pratt.”

 

“Fracture” (New Line)—A new twist on the old cat and mouse thriller, “Fracture” features a relatively restrained performance by notorious scenery gobbler Anthony Hopkins as cuckolded husband Ted, who shoots his unfaithful wife Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) in the head. Aware that she is having an affair with hostage negotiator Rob (Billy Burke), Ted plots and carries out the cold-blooded act in an attempt to lure his wife’s lover into a trap from which Ted will walk away a free man.

Meanwhile, hotshot D.A. Willie (Ryan Gosling), who has a stellar conviction rate, is about to make the switch to working in the private sector when he is sent to take Ted’s confession at the arraignment. The case, which was not expected to go to trial, suddenly becomes more complex and before you know it, Willie finds himself prosecuting Ted, who has chosen to represent himself. Needless to say there are twists and turns galore, some of which may leave viewers on the edge of their seats. Neither of the two alternate endings included in the DVD bonus features is anywhere near as satisfying as the theatrical ending.