Very Contrived!

Rating: 4/10 (24 October 2013)

As others have pointed out in reviews here, this movie is very, very contrived.
The biggest bullsh*t contrivance? Young Joe turns the gun on himself, to end the loop, save Sarah and perhaps change the future. HOWEVER, killing himself was NOT motivated. On the contrary, he's fighting for his life the entire film (after his older self outwits his younger self upon time traveling back). He repeatedly tries to kill his older self, and wants to "get right" with Abe. He's fighting the entire time to live and not be killed. Yet, now, at the end of the film, just after battling one of Abe's last men to stay alive and not be killed, he's NOW going to turn the gun on himself...???? What????
All he would have to do is just kill his older self who's 20 feet in front of him about to shoot Sarah. Kill his older self, and he SAVES Sarah and Cid. And then he can go on with his life, for the rest of his life. Simple, yeah? Any reasonable person would have made this choice.
Yet young Joe doesn't, but in fact does something unmotivated in killing himself. Makes NO sense, and destroys the movie. This last action of his is only there, I'll bet, to provide an unexpected twist. But unexpected twists must work, or the film fails.
Of course, the film was already problematic with other contrivances and story logic. But... this denouement really puts a wonderfully stupid cap on a movie that had much potential. Brilliant writing there, Mr. Johnson.