Looper

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Pierce Gagnon, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo Directed by: Rian Johnson
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Crime, Science Fiction
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a Looper- the mob in the future sends victims back in time to his present day, where he kills them and disposes of the body. When the future mob decides to close his loop by sending back his future self (Bruce Willis), he must hunt down his future self if hopes to stay alive.

Review:

Tim: Prior to seeing Looper, Rian Johnson was a director I had my eye on. His first two films, Brick and The Brothers Bloom were both great films. With the incredible Looper, Johnson is now one of the most exciting, incredible directors working today. There is a very, very short list of directors whose first three films I'd consider great movies. Johnson is absolutely on that list. And, what is even more exciting, Looper is his best effort yet. This was one of the best movies of 2012, and a movie I absolutely loved.

I am a huge fan of time travel movies. I just find the concept so interesting. Johnson is a great writer, and he crafts a brilliant, original, exciting film here. The time travel aspect is mind-blowing, but Johnson also winks at the audience in the film, letting us know that every time travel movie has paradoxes, and we shouldn't think too deeply about that (making diagrams with straws) and all that. I loved how he handled it. The idea of criminal organizations using time travel to send victims back in time, to where they are murdered is brilliant. How can you be charged with murdering someone who technically doesn't exist yet? It's just a very cool concept.

Johnson takes it one step further with a truly mind-bending idea. Eventually, those criminal organizations will "close your loop" by sending your future self back, whom you must kill. In this story's case, our protagonist accidentally allows his future self to escape. Now, he must hunt down and kill himself. This just blows my mind. I love these huge ideas, and how Johnson executes them on screen. The script for this film was absolutely genius.

Johnson also assembles a truly impressive cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is our protagonist, and his incredible performance here makes me love him even more as an actor. He delivers a remarkable performance. What I also loved is the extent they went to make Gordon-Levitt look like a younger Bruce Willis. With the change of eye color and his nose, he just looks amazing. I love how much he looked like Willis. Gordon-Levitt is truly terrific here. I also loved the casting of Bruce Willis. Many of the best moments of the film involved Gordon-Levitt and Willis together. Their scene in the diner was an instant classic. They worked well together, and I just wish they had more screen time together. Willis gives an exceptional performance, but I have to say his character represented one of my critiques of this film. As the film goes on, we root less and less for Willis and more for Gordon-Levitt. I understand that was intentional, but I wish Willis' character could have been more sympathetic. It would have given the film a great dynamic of complexity.

The supporting cast is great, too. Emily Blunt gives a quietly strong performance. I really, really liked her in this film. I loved seeing Jeff Daniels in a far too small performance. He added a great deal to the film. Piper Perabo was good in a miniscule role, as was Paul Dano. Overall, the entire cast is quite strong.

I also have to comment on the cinematography. This film just looked absolutely beautiful. It was all so crystal clear and stark. Johnson does a great job of creating a future that feels appropriately futuristic, but relatable enough for us to connect with. This is always a challenge with movies set in the future, but Johnson just nails it. The movie just looks terrific, which makes it increasingly memorable. I loved the cinematography here.

When I first saw trailers for this film, I was blown away, and looked forward to a movie seeing Joseph Gordon-Levitt trying to kill his future self, in Bruce Willis. While that's true, it is not the main focus of this film. The film's not just your typical, mindless action flick. This is a movie that means something, that asks some big questions. This is a film about fate, about the impact we have on the lives of those around us. It's about redemption and sacrifice. I was surprised when I figured out what this movie was really about, and how deep the actual story was. I loved that Johnson created this very cool, action science fiction time travel story, but also touched on some romantic and dramatic elements as well. This is really a film that has it all. It exists as this unique film, something that doesn't easily fit in the clear boxes we try to place our movies in.

I had hoped to like Looper, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did. It's perhaps the most intelligent, original movie of 2012. It solidified in my mind that Rian Johnson can be one of the all-time great directors. This movie blew me away, and I cannot wait to see what Johnson gives us next.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Brick, The Brothers Bloom, Premium Rush