Three crime dramas and all of ‘em interest me. The first two feature actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, an underrated actor that I first noticed in ’10 Things I Hate About You’. While not always in the best films (‘Havoc’ anyone?) I always like his performances. ‘Killshot’ is a strange looking film. Slated to hit theaters last year, the film was never released. Based on an Elmore Leonard novel and helmed by director John Madden this would seem to a promising film. I rented some Newline film and it had a trailer for ‘Killshot’ and I must say that the trailer didn’t look so hot. Still the film has a line up of actors I like: Levitt, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Rosario Dawson, Thomas Jane, and Johnny Knoxville. Unfortunately, Rourke is looking somewhat on the comical side and this movie (as far as I can tell) isn’t a comedy. Add to that the missing release date and I have to wonder about ‘Killshot’.

Still I’m curious about this film and good or bad, I’m looking forward to seeing it.

 ‘The Lookout’ is another crime drama that looks to be an interesting, twisty-turny film (at least going by the trailer anyway). While having more promise than ‘Killshot’ (hey, ‘The Lookout’ hasn’t missed a release date yet) the film could be one of those “too clever for it’s own good” crime dramas. You know the type, where the plot twists are so ridiculously impossible to guess that it seems as though the filmmakers picked them almost at random (‘Lucky Number Sleven’). ‘The Lookout’ has a couple of actors I like: Levitt, Carla Gugino, Isla Fisher, and Jeff Daniels. I am particularly looking forward to Fisher, who just killed me in ‘The Wedding Crashers’. The first time director Scott Frank has writing credit on a couple of movies that I like: ‘Out of Sight’ and ‘Get Shorty’ and wrote a few movies that while I wouldn’t necessarily classify them as great films, I would say that I could see their screenplays as having had potential: ‘The Interpreter’, ‘Minority Report’, and ‘Heaven’s Prisoners’, etc. I’m always rooting for the writer who goes on to direct, so here’s hoping ‘The Lookout’ is a solid flic’.

‘Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead’ is a great title and just happens to be the latest film from director Sidney Lumet. I don’t even have a poster available yet

but the film has some people I like in it: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, and Marisa Tomei. IMDb lists the plot as: “When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their father and one brother's wife hurtling towards a shattering climax”. That premise could make for a great film if done right and I will be curious to see what Lumet, first time screenwriter Kelly Masterson, the cast and the rest of the crew come up with for ‘Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead’. Great title. There is no official site yet but the IMDb page can be found HERE. ‘Killshot’ also does not have an official page (there is a brief blurb that can be found on the Weinstein Company page HERE.) but its IMDb page is HERE. The trailer has popped up on iklipz but it plays in the wrong aspect ratio. If you want to see it anyway it is HERE. The official site of ‘The Lookout’ can be seen HERE. The trailer for the film is HERE.