A nicely balanced Sci-Fi action film.

Rating: 9/10 (26 September 2012)

Looper tells the story of two dystopian worlds: 2042, the film's present, where time travel is yet to be discovered, and 2072, where it exists but has been outlawed. Time machines are only used, however, by organised criminal gangs that cunningly abduct their enemies and send them back 30 years for special contract assassins, called loopers, to execute and cremate - no trace and no questions asked.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the young, drug-addicted half of the film's protagonist, Joe - a looper whose narrative exposition is as blunt as his merciless killing style. He does not kill out of blood-lust, though, only for the silver bars strapped to the backs of his faceless targets. Indeed, as well as the drug he administers to his eyeballs throughout the film, Joe is addicted to the fashionable clothes, classic cars and glamorous women his murky profession affords him, while at the same time being keen to get out.
When the criminals of 2072 decide to cancel a looper's contract, they simply transport his future self back in time for him to eliminate, along with a generous severance package that he may use to see out his remaining three decades in luxury. This is called 'closing the loop'. However, when Joe's future self (Bruce Willis) materialises before him one day, he escapes, condemning them both to death. Young Joe's only hope is to track down and kill his older and wiser self, a man who's on a mission of his own to change the future.
Like all time travel movies, Looper suffers from a lack of originality. Name your film - The Terminator, 12 Monkeys, The Butterfly Effect - they're all here, or, at least, bits of them are. And yet Rian Johnson (Brick, 2005) somehow manages to splice together numerous familiar ideas to produce something fresh. The thing about time travel as a theme is that it's fundamentally irresistible: we yearn to see the paradox's resolution like impatient time lines straining to reorganise themselves. Fortunately, Johnson has taken great pains both in his writing and direction to avoid the plot holes that usually ruin films such as this.
Gordon-Levitt builds on his reputation as one of the most talented young actors currently in the business, but he's not really the star of Looper. Willis brings all his vintage action man credentials to the fore; Emily Blunt impresses as Sara (Conner, anyone?), the single mother trying to protect her son, Cid (Pierce Gagnon), from the violence heading his way; even Jeff Daniels puts in a decent performance. No one stands out particularly and no one lets this film down - it's a collective triumph on every level.
Looper's film noir style is also one of its strengths. The CGI works well and thankfully doesn't saturate. It's a believable, compassionless world that Johnson creates and one that's sadly becoming increasingly familiar in the present day. It's a Sci-Fi action movie first and foremost with plenty of chase scenes and exciting shoot-outs, but it's also replete with truly disturbing moments. What is a telekinetic child capable of when he gets angry, and what happens to future-people when their past selves are viciously mutilated? There will be blood.
I knew from the opening scene that Looper was going to be special, but it got better by the minute. I have a suspicion that I'll be doing some time travelling of my own very soon - returning to the cinema to see this marvellous film again.
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