Trippy Philip K.Dickian sci-fi mind-f*#ck of a flick

Rating: 9/10 (8 October 2012)

LOOPER (2012) *** 1/2 Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Wilis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels, Pierce Gagnon, Qing Xu, Tracie Thomas, Garrett Dillahunt, Nick Gomez. Trippy Philip K.Dickian sci-fi mind-f*#ck of a flick with the always appealing Gordon- Levitt as a combo bounty hunter/assassin of the future whose own fate seems locked in when his older self is sent back for his crimes to be terminated and the good ol' clock ticking before his cohorts get wise to off him themselves. With wit and a soupçon of restraint filmmaker Rian Johnson manages to tap into the time/space continuum with nary a shrug as to the backdrop of the proceedings at hand - a mix of gangster/code-of-the-old-West gunslinger flicks and the sub genre of time traveling sci-fi that is truly entertaining with a splendid cast including Willis as the world-weary shoot-first, ask-questions later archetype he can do in his sleep; Bljunt getting in touch with her inner Linda Hamilton; and a scruffy Daniiels as a future tapper running the whole bag of tricks. The only fatal flaw is attempting to make-up Gordon-Levitt to resemble Willis (it doesn't work; he looks like an automatronic plastique) not unlike Willis' crappy SURROGATES) and using his tough guy latter day Bogart whispery delivery. Otherwise a shot in the arm for identity in a grim future sci-fi action yarn that has a few surprises up its sleeve.