"Looper" Review

"Looper"

Directed by Rian Johnson

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

 

RATING

9/10

There's a part of my childhood that remembers being completely baffled by the time travel concept of "Back to The Future". Apart from the occasional one-liners and slew of special effects, I found myself quite disconnected from the whole idea of time travel. Maybe it wasn't cool to be into such pseudo-intellectual nonsense as a kid, but I didn't become a time geek until my pubescent years. However, one concept I adored and nerded out for was telekenesis, or the ability to manipulate material and space with one's mind. "The Matrix" and "Akira" did it splendidly, and I was in awe at the sheer power of this newly discovered greatness. So, what has time travel got to do with telekenesis? Well, now we have "Looper".

 

"Looper" tells the story of Joe, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a young hitman living in the distant future where time travel has yet to be invented. However, he is no ordinary hitman, he is a 'looper': hitmen who control the existence of certain people in their respective timelines. This is all possible thanks to time travel actually being invented in the very distant future, where mobs and the mafia run 'hits'. Whenever someone gets hit, they're zapped back in time and Joe, the looper, eliminates them from time and existence. Once in a while, a looper encounters himself while making a hit. When he kills his future self, he "closes the loop", so that a singular timeline can be retained. But when Joe's future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to be eliminated, the young Joe lets him escape and so begins a hunting game.

 

Right off the bat, this movie surprised me. "Looper" was an ingenious blend of sci-fi, action and drama, and struck the right chords at the perfect moments. The film was written and directed by Rian Johnson, who also wrote and directed the severely underrated high-school crime drama, "Brick" (also starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt). What's brilliant about his vision is that it still remains within the realms of gritty realism and never strays off-course to faux futurism like flying cars and robots. Johnson directs "Looper" with pin-point precision. The pacing and editing is perfect, and its ambitious premise stretches beyond what anyone would dare expect in a regular sci-fi flick. To not spoil anything, I will say that it definitely involves telekenesis, an innovative and stunning addition to this already killer concept. Although from the general synopsis, it seems like a straight-forward fugitive movie, it has several layers and interpretations that challenges one intellectually. I would compare it to "Inception" in the way of intellectual, smart and substance-driven action over bloated and empty special effects extravaganzas (Nolan would shed a tear).

 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of the strongest points of the film. His portrayal of a younger-looking Bruce Willis is amazing as you won't take your eyes off of his performance the entire film. It's spectacular and baffling altogether. Everything from Willis' little nuances, such as the pouted lips and raised eyebrows, is duplicated by Gordon-Levitt so naturally, you almost forget that this is the same charming guy that danced to Hall & Oates in "(500) Days of Summer". He looks like he could kick some ass, and I loved that. It just proves what a talented actor he really is. Bruce Willis is his same ol' badass self, still looking like he could blow holes through people's faces while saying "Yippy kay-yay, motherf**ker!". He does have a very human element to him in the film which brings him down to a more subtle level, which is always a great thing to see actors flex their acting abilities a bit. Perhaps the most awesome aspects of "Looper" are things that I can't possibly spoil, but it constantly puts new and exciting twists on the time travel ideology which will probably melt your brain. Like I said, telekenesis and time travel work extremely well together in this film. Also what is great about the film is the dialogue. It's written with all the quirk, wit, and spontanuity you would come to expect from Joss Whedon or Quentin Tarantino. Characters in the film bicker back and forth so naturally, which is a powerful device that draws you into this world on an emotional level.

 

The film does have one or two faults, even if they're very, very minor. I may have picked up a couple of plotholes, but I've been proven wrong before. And also Paul Dano, one of this generations' finest young actors, is also severely underused as a supporting member. It's a bit disappointing to see talent not fully utilized, but at the same time I can understand his limits given the script and role. Those are only minor gripes in what is a non-stop thrill ride from start to end.

 

"Looper" is one of the undoubtedly one of the best films of 2012. It's bursting with originality, innovation, and incredible visual effects. The film is elevated thanks to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's great acting, and its mind-numbingly ambitious concept which strikes all the marks for being a destined sci-fi classic. Despite a couple minor plotholes and underused characters, it's still vastly superior to several sci-fi films of the last decade. "Looper" leaves its well-earned mark on the halls of sci-fi/action royalty.