Wow - actually pretty good

Rating: 8/10 (4 November 2014)

I've seen so many films now, half of them I manage to turn off around the half hour mark. Sometimes I think I've seen every different monster and every different car chase. Then something like Looper comes along and restores my faith in Hollywood.
It's about time travel. Therefore you can look up on the internet message boards threads about the major plot holes with the mechanics of time travel in general. They use words like 'paradox' and things like that. Basically, they're saying that the movie doesn't work scientifically. Well, if put to the test, it probably doesn't. But then nor does any time travel movie. So, if you can suspend your disbelief and like some slick sci-fi action, you should enjoy this.
In the future, they time travel. And those crafty futuristic criminals are only sending their 'hit' victims back in time to be executed and disposed of (by assassins called 'Loopers'). This prevents the future authorities from ever linking the future criminals to their murders. Clever, huh? Well, nearly. Because Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of those Loopers and his 'victim' sent back in time for him to neatly kill and dispose of, is only him! Or rather Bruce Willis, who is apparently what Joseph Gordon-Levitt will look like in about forty years time. But, Bruce Willis has no intention of just taking the traditional bullet to the head. He has his own agenda. And it involves escape and killing many people along the way. Why? You'll have to watch the film to find out.
It's well written. Special acting points to Joseph Gordon-Levitt for mimicking all of Bruce's little quirks and mannerisms in order to portray his younger incarnation. Plus full marks for finding a really dark and menacing kid who flits between sweet and psychotic (I think this is how young Anakin Skywalker should have been cast in Episode I, but never mind - too late now).
Basically, Looper is a lot of well-written, well-performed mind-bending time travelling fun. Yes, it may have some plot holes if you really want to dig deep enough, but there's so much good here, it well and truly overshadows the bad.