Time loops

Rating: 7/10 (30 December 2012)

In the distant future time travel will have been invented, but its implication were catastrophic in scale. Thus quickly banned by governments they only function underground, especially as part of crime syndicates utilising the invention to commit murders: people are sent back in time to be then disposed off by special killers called loopers. Controlled by Abe (Jeff Daniels), these renegade contract killers have agreed to their profession with the awareness that in an uncertain future they will have to cap off their future selves for the last golden paycheck. When Joe (a disfigured Joseph Gordon-Levitt) fails to kill off Old Joe (Bruce Willis) he becomes marked by Abe's foot soldiers. Meanwhile Old Joe aims to avert the rise of the murderous Rainmaker by killing him as a child, thus saving his beloved wife from death.
The whole premise is pretty far-fetched, while the implications of time travel are best summarised by Abe: "This time travel crap, just fries your brain like a egg..." Best not ask, best not try to logically tie yourself around it and furthermore just avoid searching for plot holes, because you will sure as hell not be disappointed. Internal logic of time travel mechanics or narrative are shady at best, while occasionally falling over itself. A simple example: At the start of the movie we are told that victims are sent back in time, because future technology makes it impossible to hide murders. But this does not stop mafia from killing off Old Joe's wife...
Putting those idiosyncrasies away, best stick with the story itself, which... honestly isn't as captivating and innovative as has been claimed. Whereas the movie itself is pretty engrossing, the narrative well strewn, the overall concept fails to juggle the ideas included. When the plot starts becoming somewhat obvious, "Looper" lacks enough emotional tension to make it a true classic, and the general lapses make it a vastly inferior movie to "Brick", Rian Johnson's breakthrough debut. Action sequences are nicely limited in scale and thus avoid becoming tiresome main events, instead allowing focus on the story (another point for special effects, which compliment the feature without overawing). Internal demons and conflicts with one self take on a whole new meaning, as perspectives of the young and old Joe vary, thus making life priorities diverge. The face-to-face encounter and conflict it causes offered such prolific possiilities to explore, but sadly young and old Joe rarely interact with each other. The potential for contemplative sci-fi was there, but somewhere along the way the possibility of venturing in depth was lost, when the somewhat intriguing, but also distracting, side plot of whether or not killing the child Hitler is justified takes center stage and the concept of self-conflict ends up unrealised. Thus the movie lacks emotional coherency, with dramatic aspects flustering all around and failing to pinpoint the internal turmoil, which is taking place. Some original ideas are floating around, but I personally wasn't in awe, partly due to the awkward focus of attention on Gordon-Lewitt's makeup.
The facial characterisation of Joseph Gordon Lewitt was a extreme put-off, so that he would like more like 'a young Bruce Willis', but the end result was irksome and distracting, making him somewhat disfeatured and severely inhibiting his acting capabilities. At best the whole move was pointless, proving a flustering influence on viewing. Nonetheless "Looper" was undeniably a joyous adventure with an overall enticing story.