Looper

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Paul Dano, Noah Segan

Dir & Scr. Rian Johnson

I’m a complete and utter sucker for time travel movies. Often, though, they get so bogged down in explaining themselves, the joy of the whole idea is whittled away. Looper is certainly not without its faults. It’s hugely derivative, full of holes (pretty glaring holes, if you want to see them) and is, at times, unintentionally funny. But, you know what, I had a ball watching this film. Not your run-of-the-mill time travel tale, Looper has humour and thrills and horror and a pleasing amount of heart. The performances are all well above average and, in the case of the two leads (which are, errr, the same lead), stellar. A truly entertaining night out.

In the not-too-distant future, 2074, time travel has been invented and instantly outlawed. Offing people in this particular future is not an easy task, so the mob uses time travel to covertly send people back in time to be killed and disposed of by “loopers”. Joe (Gordon-Levitt) is a young looper, in a grim 2044, living the high life with the blood money he gets paid. The only way out of the business is to “close your loop” – when the loopers’ older self gets sent back for the younger self to kill and collect a massive pay check. When Joe fails to close his loop, letting Old Joe (Willis) escape, all hell breaks loose – both men are on the run, each trying to protect their own future.

This is a creative, surprising, thrilling film. Without offering up plot spoilers, it takes the audience in unexpected directions – it’s science fiction, sure, but it also has a healthy dose of horror thrown in. This isn’t jarring though – writer/director Johnson handles the action with ease and the story moves along at a pleasing pace. For a movie of just under two hours, it sure felt like he managed to get a lot in. Although we do get some Looper Universe 101 at the beginning, Johnson (to his credit) doesn’t get bogged down in explanation or revelation.

Sure, there are holes. I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say, time travel mythology isn’t easy. One glaring scene in the middle of the film hangs by a tenuous thread of explanation. And the whole second half of the film – where the two Joes exist in the same time, with largely their own memories – defies belief. This will frustrate some viewers, those of the pedantic persuasion. I suspect most will just let it ride. For me, there is an emotional weight to the film (lacking in so many of this genre) which makes its flaws much easier to forgive.

Much of that weight comes from some very fine performances. Gordon-Levitt transformed himself for this role. His appearance is only one part of this – he has Willis’s mannerisms and speech patterns down to a fine art. And it’s a credit to him and a boost to the film. Willis himself is somewhat against type. A not-so-nice man driven by pure selfishness to protect his future. We’re so used to rooting for Willis in movies; it’s refreshing to be conflicted. Willis also brings a lot of the emotional highlights. When he first does the particular thing that he thinks he has to do (sorry, vague I know, but it’s for your own good), his reaction is gut-wrenching and almost had me in tears. The conversation in the diner between the two Joes is a particular highlight for both actors. Blunt is, as always, wonderful. Tortured but utterly strong. Dano’s appearance is brilliant but all too brief as Joe’s fellow looper, Seth. And Daniels, as mob kingpin Abe, is delightful, with some of the best dialogue at his disposal.

This highly-stylised science fiction/horror/action film manages both depth and heart. Quite a feat. It’s compelling, entertaining and exciting. Highly recommended for anyone who likes the genre and recommend even for those who don’t.

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Abe: This time travel crap just fries your brain like an egg …