"The path is a circle, round and round."

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2013)

It seems like I've seen the trailer for this film all year in 2012. The preview in itself presented a unique concept, in which a hired gun shoots people who are time-warped into the past. Then he winds up having to hunt and shoot his future self. What a twist! All that in itself seemed like a good premise for an action-packed sci-fi thriller with maybe some food for thought. Seeing the film in its entirety, I got to admit that the previews didn't do this film justice. Sure, there is action, thrills, and style, but the man-vs-himself plot didn't really take the center stage like I thought it would. If anything, the film felt like it was cut into two distinct halves: the first is pretty much everything I expected (lots of gangsters in a futuristic city with occasional bursts of violence), but the second half ventures into some fairly unpredictable territory.
The story is brimming with intriguing ideas and implications. I'm still not sure if the time-traveling mechanics are 100% foolproof; it's definitely not hard sci-fi (and it won't be as deep as something like Primer). However, the film lays out its concepts and rules coherently, and shows them in interesting ways. What really makes it work will be its characters, who show a fair amount of development, and plenty of emotional resonance. The film goes on to show a whole world of people struggling to hold onto things precious to them. The "loop" of the movie is not so much about time travel, as it is endless circles of violence, vengeance, and hate that other people inflict on one another (and maybe even themselves). As such, the film's final solution is quite brilliant.
The film looks slick and stylish. Photography and editing are pretty decent. Acting is great: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is quite earnest in his role, and does a tremendous job of showing enough nuance to match up with Bruce Willis, who is still as badass as ever. Writing is decent. This production has its fair share of good-looking sets, props, costumes, and special effects, but it's most noteworthy for depicting a future that's not overly fantastic, but truly does look plausible. Music is quite intense.
Chances are good that most casual audiences will enjoy this flick, but fans of sci-fi, action, and crime films should definitely check this out.
Recommended! 4/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Very Good | Film: Good)