Why Looper was amazing...and why it wasn't

Rating: 8/10 (10 October 2012)

As a HUGE Bruce Willis fan I was ecstatic to see Looper. I hoped this was a return to the sci-fi/action films that Willis excels at and in many ways it was exactly that. I can only say about Looper that at times I was just absolutely blown away by it and then in the same breath I felt disappointed in some aspects. I think a truly smart and savvy time travel flick should hurt your brain. It should inevitably leave paradox's that keep people talking about it for days or months after seeing it and Looper does that for certain. I tried to read a few of the forums on IMDb discussing the ins and outs of the intricacies of the film and it literally is mind numbing so kudos to them on that front. This is the type of film that I could sit down and debate/discuss with someone for hours and hours and have a great time doing it and for that reason I loved it. There were some incredible action sequences and an interesting look at a future world. Here comes the however...I felt certain scenes were inadvertently almost funny. I spotted some of the actors looking like they were preparing to take a punch or for the stunt to begin which is just poor directing and editing. Certainly there were plot holes (Willis carries the same gun after knocking out Levitt that he leaves laying beside Levitt in the scene before), and I think when you start to do the deconstruction of the film scene by scene you would find some glaring issues. However, I'm willing to forgive those inconsistencies because of the grandiose and brilliant idea of the film. Finally, the film represents itself as a simple story about Levitt chasing down Willis to try to rectify the fact that he lets him live. In fact the film is more about saving the future by killing a young boy who will become a dictator and madman.
Bruce Willis is in full Bruce Willis mode for Looper. He doesn't start out strong but he finishes it in full form. At first I thought he seemed slow and bored with the role but then when the film climaxes I saw that flash of fire that Willis brings to a role. I never get tired of seeing him mow down bad guys with giants gun. Joseph Gordon-Levitt once again flexes his acting chops and proves why he is Hollywood's future. He carries the film flawlessly and I was a little skeptical about the whole idea of him trying to nail Willis' mannerisms and while he walks a very thin line of overdoing it, he does a pretty solid job. He is well on his way to being a superstar and it shows! I am growing a little weary of Emily Blunt being in everything. I don't particularly see that outstanding actor that some think she is but she is good in her role as the protective mother. I think there are many questions left unanswered about her character and she has good chemistry with Levitt, though I don't think it was great chemistry. She definitely holds her own. I enjoyed the villain role played by Noah Segan, and I kept waiting for his character to have this big revealing point in the story but he never did sadly. Still he was good but sort of underwhelming in the end. Jeff Daniels has a small role as the Looper boss but he is mostly underused. And finally what an incredible role played by young actor Pierce Gagnon who plays the young boy with a disturbed future ahead of him. He was fantastic and just played an incredible role and was so expressive in his emotions and lines. Keep your eyes out for him in future roles for certain.
Writer and director Rian Johnson is a talented film maker. He has a distinctive dark and gritty style that he's brought to TV Show Breaking Bad and also his first film Brick. That style shows distinctly in Looper. I did feel like the "present" time they showed was perhaps a little more advanced than what is realistically possible but its sci-fi for a reason and I did enjoy what they did. I think it also would have fascinating to see more of the future-future as we only saw a very very small glimpse through the eyes of Willis. Looper would have been a tough movie to make because I think there is years worth of material here that could be explored. No matter how you shake it, when a film is this intensive and grandiose there has to be some bad with the good. The final word from me is that the film is excellent, a top notch science fiction action flick that I will certainly get something different from every time I watch it and that is the mark of a great film. Be ready to think and be prepared to enjoy the ride. 8.5/10