Dazzling

Rating: 8/10 (18 October 2012)

There's a fundamental problem with time-travel that many have fallen victim to - too much physics and you leave the audience cold and befuddled; too many action sequences and emotion goes out the window. The real trick of making a truly great time-travel movie is finding the perfect balance between the two and in my opinion only two films have struck this difficult chord - Back to the Future and Twelve Monkeys (which also starred Bruce Willis). Well, now you can add Looper to that.
Set in Kansas, in 2044, the story centres on Joe Simmons (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) - he's an assassin or 'looper' who's hired by a criminal organisation to kill targets sent back from a future where time-travel has been outlawed. However, during one particular contract, Joe is shocked to see that his latest target is his older self...
One of the most brilliant things about Looper is its awareness of the headaches that too many paradoxes can induce. In a wonderful moment of dialogue, writer/director Rian Johnson basically tells the audience not to worry about the inner machinations of the genre's logic, "This time- travel crap fries your brain like an egg", says Jeff Daniels' Mafia man Abe. But importantly, the place of the heart is not forgotten and the film succeeds on an emotional level just as well as it does on a technical one; which is quite a feat when your main character is cold-hearted and selfish killer.
And speaking of Mr. Gordon-Levitt, he delivers his best performance yet, portraying Joe with maturity, depth and nuance. And no, the make- up was not distracting. Best of all, he does not imitate Bruce Willis, but instead plays the kind of young man who would grow up to be the Bruce Willis we all know. Willis gives his best piece of acting in years, trading the action hero smirk for touches of melancholia that pay off dividends. All this is exemplified in a diner- set scene between the two Joes which shows just how good these two actors really are.
Emily Blunt does a completely convincing job as being more than just 'the female character'. Solid support also comes from the reliable Jeff Daniels and Paul Dano, while Noah Segsn is impressive and attention-grabbing as Kid Blue.
The film is also Johnson's best. After seeing (and loving) the John Hughes meets Raymond Chandler-isms of Brick and the mishandled The Brothers Bloom (Gordon-Levitt and Segan were in both), I was interested to see where he'd go next, and frankly, he has outdone himself with Looper. No better is this seen than in a bravura montage which shows how JGL becomes Bruce Willis; it's poignant, violent, dazzling and tender.
While there are flaws - some plot holes and a predictable final twist - as an overall piece, the film's positives massively outweigh its negatives, as far and few between they may be. It's easily one of the best films of the year.