Looper Review

Rated R (Strong Violence, Language, Some Sexuality/Nudity and Drug Content)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 58 Minutes

Cast-

Joseph Gordon-Levitt-Joe Simmons

Bruce Willis-Old Joe Simmons

Emily Blunt-Sara

Pierce Gagnon-Cid

Jeff Daniels-Abe

Paul Dano-Seth

Noah Segan-Kid Blue

Piper Perabo-Suzie

Qing Xu-Old Joe's Wife

Tracie Thoms-Beatrix

Garret Dillahunt-Jesse

Frank Brennan-Old Seth

Directed by Rian Johnson

Note: There may be some unintentional spoilers contained within this review.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis battle for their own future in Rian Johnson's futuristic sci-fi thriller, "Looper," one of the best films of 2012.

If you had the power to go back in time and prevent a terrible event from happening, would you do it despite the consequences? It's the kind of heady question that is explored in Rian Johnson's "Looper," a twisty sci-fi mind bender in which a young man confronts his future self. Films involving time travel are a dime a dozen in Hollywood but without a skilled writer and/or director at the helm, the story can quickly devolve into a confusing mess of unanswered questions and gaping plot holes. Fortunately, Johnson rises to the challenge with aplomb and while "Looper" tackles some familiar themes, it remains a thought-provoking and compelling character study that transforms a tired sci-fi concept into something truly original, earning its place as one of 2012's best films. 

Opening in the middle of an empty field in Kansas, a young man named Joe Simmons (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) silently waits with his Blunderbuss in hand. A man wrapped in a hooded sack appears out of thin air a few feet away and without any hesitation, Joe kills him. He then loads the body onto the back of his beat-up truck and rips open the sack, revealing four bars of silver. Driving to an industrial furnace, Joe disposes of the body and explains via voiceover that time travel will be invented thirty years from now in 2074. Outlawed almost immediately, only the most powerful criminal organizations use it by sending their victims backward in time to the year 2044, where a specialized assassin known as a 'looper' eliminates them and gets rid of the body, which is impossible to do in the future due to advanced tagging techniques. After killing his target, Joe cashes in two of his silver bars in a heavily-fortified pawn shop and drives to Club Belle, encountering a fellow looper named Seth (Paul Dano) on the way. Unable to start his slat bike (a hover bike), Seth asks for a ride. During the drive to the club, it is revealed that Seth possesses rudimentary telekinetic abilities. Dubbed as 'TK,' these people were once believed to be the next step in human evolution but it ended up being nothing more than a cheap party trick. Joe and Seth arrive at the club to learn that one of their own has 'closed his loop,' which means a looper has unwittingly killed his future self and earned thirty years of 'retirement,' until that predetermined point where he will be sent back in time to be killed by his younger self. After spending the night getting 'dropped' (using eye droppers filled with drugs to get high), Joe returns to his job as a looper. Some time later, a frantic pounding outside his apartment window wakes him up from his sleep. It is Seth, who has 'let his loop run' and is now being chased by the mob's 'gat-men.' Joe reluctantly agrees to let him hide out at his apartment but is forced to give him up after a tense meeting with his boss, Abe (Jeff Daniels), who was sent from the future to manage the loopers and uses the gat-men as enforcers. A rumor begins to spread of a powerful crime boss in the future called 'The Rainmaker' ordering the closure of all loops. Joe is confronted by his older self (Bruce Willis), locking them onto a path that will have widespread consequences in both the present and the future. 

Despite its sci-fi premise, "Looper" follows in the same vein of Rian Johnson's previous work, where the director would take a familiar genre and inject new life into them. His 2005 directorial debut of "Brick" (also starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was a thriller that utilized elements of film noir but in a high school setting. Following the mixed reception of 2008's caper flick "The Brothers Bloom," Johnson has bounced back with his best film yet. Utilizing a what-if time travel scenario that involves changing the future through a single act (e.g. killing Hitler when he is just a child), Johnson's script explores the philosophical and moral implications that come with committing such an action. In the film, Bruce Willis' Joe escapes from the year 2074 to 2044 with the intention of killing the child who will grow up to be the Rainmaker but does the ends justify the means? What of the child himself? Is his fate set in stone or can he be changed through a positive influence? There are so many questions that "Looper" presents and not one of them is about an unresolved plot hole but about exposing our true selves through a seemingly impossible situation. Sure, the overall story won't come as a total surprise to sci-fi veterans yet Johnson manages to hold our interest with several twists and his attention to detail, taking a very 'indie' approach with his vision of the future. At first glance, 2044 feels remarkably similar (four-wheel vehicles remain the chief form of transportation) to 2012 but you soon notice some subtle differences. Hover bikes are now common place, cell phones are little glass touch-screens, drugs are now taken as eye drops, and crop dusters are programmable drones. It does contain shades of Ridley Scott's seminal "Blade Runner" with its downtrodden masses and omnipresent police but the effects used to bring the future to life never descend into the flashy mess that most Hollywood productions suffer from; it is simply a backdrop in which the film's ideas are presented. The trailers are somewhat misleading, promising an abundance of action when this is really a slow-burn feature that focuses on character drama and big ideas. However, there is one scene in which Old Joe is captured by Abe's gat-men and to escape, he guns them all down in a bloody showdown that had the crowd roaring with applause. 

Johnson has gathered an impressive cast and it's one of the reasons why "Looper" works so well. Delivering a nuanced performance and cementing his status as one of the most talented actors working today, Joseph Gordon-Levitt may not look quite like Bruce Willis in his younger days despite the make-up but he perfectly captures his mannerisms, including that trademark smirk and chuckle, with uncanny detail. He imbues Joe with a cold-blooded nature yet maintains a strong sense of morality, making him an anti-hero. The choice of giving up his friend to his boss is clearly a hard one and we see him later filled with regret. Bruce Willis is just as good, if not better, as Old Joe. His screen-time is limited but he taps into a sense of world-weariness and self-loathing that allows us to sympathize with him even as he commits some terrible acts of violence. Levitt and Willis share this amazing scene in a roadside diner, with both voicing their clear contempt for each other. Emily Blunt is suitably tough as a shotgun-toting farmer caring for her only son Cid, played by Pierce Gagnon, who weaves between moments of cute precociousness and a frightening rage. Paul Dano and Jeff Daniels have small roles that help fleshes out the world that Johnson has created. 

Premiering at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, "Looper" was released on September 28, 2012 to widespread critical acclaim with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it 'as thought-provoking as it is thrilling, [the film] delivers an uncommonly smart, bravely original blend of futuristic sci-fi and good old-fashioned action.' Unfortunately, the advance screening I attended had one too many noisy patrons, with some laughing at inappropriate moments or making comments that was neither funny nor clever. You always get the dregs of society at these free events sadly. A number one debut at the box office was never in the cards for "Looper" due to its competition from Sony's animated flick "Hotel Transylvania" but it should gross a solid $20 million and turn a healthy profit since its production budget was only $30 million. Sony wins either way as Johnson's film was distributed by their subsidiary TriStar Pictures. When I left the theater, I thought "Looper" was merely a 'great' film due its somewhat predictable story but what really elevates it is the approach. Johnson breathes new life into a well-worn subgenre, creating one of the most interesting films of the year, one that will likely be talked about for years to come.

Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Joe: We both know how this has to go down. I can't let you walk away from this diner alive. This is my life now. I earned it. You had yours already. So why don't you do what old men do and die?

Old Joe: Why don't you just take your little gun out from between your legs and do it, boy?