Shades of "The Terminator"...

Rating: 5/10 (30 September 2012)

In 2044 Kansas, with time travel possible but illegal, former orphan-turned-assassin Joseph Gordon-Levitt inadvertently allows his time-jumping target to escape, only to learn the 'looper' is himself as a middle-aged man, back from the future to stop a notorious, telekinetic killer before he comes into power--and murders his beloved wife. Complicated set-up is actually laid out quite smoothly, with a concise Gordon-Levitt voice-over and good work from both he and Bruce Willis. Other elements of the film, such as Jeff Daniels' casting as a no-nonsense syndicate boss and Emily Blunt as a single mother on a farm (who adds plenty of nonsense), do not work. Well-made film (with Gordon-Levitt serving as one of the producers) tries for big, ironic meanings in its final stages, but still can't escape a certain déjà vu, with echoes of "The Terminator" reverberating throughout. ** from ****