Looper

Rating: 6/10 (20 January 2016)

About midway through these genre months, I find myself itching for a little bit of more of a variety with the movies I'm watching. Luckily, Looper was just different enough for me to avoid the mid- month genre fatigue. Director Rian Johnson brings together veteran actor Bruce Willis and emerging star Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a team, of sorts in this time travel drama. An interesting look at a future that utilizes time travel, Looper is riddled with sharp dialogue and gritty, dark photography sure to capture the audience's attention.
In the future of 2074, time travel is possible and utilized, but forbidden to all, unless you are a Looper. Loopers are hit men who are paid to kill criminals sent to them 30 years in the past. A Looper named Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), is desperately searching for something of worth in his otherwise miserable drug-fueled life. Just roaming through his life, Joe kills and stashes away his reward hoping for a respite to France in the future. One day, Joe gets the job of his life, literally, when his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent to him. The only way to close a loop in this universe is for the 2074 self to be killed by the 2044 self in the past. Joe hesitates, and his future self escapes, determined to kill the boy in the past who will grow to be the man responsible for his wife's death. Realizing he has committed a grave mistake, Joe chases his future self, eventually getting a step ahead of him. Landing on a farm that Joe believes his future self is coming to in search of the boy, Joe finds a single mother and her son on the farm and soon learns there is more to her son than meets the eye. Deciding, selflessly, to protect them, Joe comes face-to-face with his future self, and must make a crucial decision.
Dark cinematography was used throughout the film, and it lent itself well to the dark feelings experienced by the Loopers who were simply killing until they killed themselves. The darkness also lends itself well to the extreme isolation that affects everyone in this universe. An unexpected standout in the film was the little boy, Cid played by Pierce Gagnon. A wonderful performance with deep emotions, the child actor shines. Great performances by Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt aided by rich dialogue go a long way toward the staying power of this film.
Looper is a fun, yet serious film for the sci-fi genre. Complete with action, but not over the top, it was a good submission for the time travel sub-genre. I would recommend this film to sci-fi fans, as well as fans of the two lead actors. We especially see Gordon- Levitt branch out beautifully from the characters he typically portrays. Hopefully, also, we see more of the standout Pierce Gagnon.