A time-travelling, philosophical, intelligent mind-bender of a film

Rating: 8/10 (5 October 2012)

I entered the cinema not expecting much, which in hindsight was probably a good thing. Looper is in essence a brief study of man's constant dilemma of fate vs. choice. What if I had taken the other path, what would be life be like? Writer/Director Rian Johnson takes this simple yet convoluted premise and adds in some action and a whole lot of science fiction that results in an excellent film.
Time-travel plays a massive part of the film's storyline and this means you just have to not think about the paradoxes, lest it causes your brain to melt. Joseph Gordon-Levitt takes on a different tone as he is not his usual charming self that we are used to seeing in his previous films. Instead, as Joe Simmons, he portrays a ruthless contract-killer known as a Looper; and he does not flinch a muscle when he completes his assignments. In 2074, time travel has been discovered but outlawed and when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past to be killed by the aforementioned Loopers. However, when it's time for the Looper to go, they are sent back in time to be killed by their younger versions, in what is called 'closing the loop'.
Bruce Willis plays the older Joe who gets sent back but with a small twist, he escapes the younger Joe. Older Joe then goes on his mission to hunt down the Rainmaker, the man who controls the mob in 2074, only he is just a kid in 2034. What happens next forms the crux of the film that sees it ending with a great riposte to that age-old paradigm of fate vs. choice.
Gordon-Levitt continues to show why he is hell-bent on being his generation's best actor as he undergoes a total facial change to look like a young-ish Bruce Willis. His portrayal as frayed, fragile yet strong junkie is fantastic. In fact, in the diner scene, he goes toe-to- toe with Willis in the way he speaks down to cadence and slight Jersey accent that Willis naturally has.
Willis meanwhile is solid in every single frame he is in, displaying his emotional range as well as his undoubted action credentials. Jeff Daniels looked like he really enjoyed himself playing Abe, Joe's present day boss who was sent by back by the Rainmaker to keep things on a leash in 2034. Emily Blunt as Sara is sufficient although to be honest that role could have been played by anyone.
The person that almost steals the show is the young Pierce Gagnon who displays a maturity in his acting that is far beyond his age. It is astonishing to think that he was only 5 at the time of filming. As Sid, Sara's son, Pierce shines as boy who is unable to control who he is. I'm not going to give much more, watch the film to know what I mean.
This is without a shadow of a doubt the best Sci-Fi film of 2012 (well at least until I watch Cloud Atlas, which looks pretty good as well). In fact, I would go as far as to rank this in the Top 5 Sci-Fi films of the 21st Century (Inception, Donnie Darko, Looper, District 9 and Moon in that order)
Catch this ahead of any over-hyped drivel (yes I'm looking at you Total Recall etc.) that is showing in cinemas now