Looper dir. by

8 October 2012


Genre:
Script:
Cast: , ,
Setting: ,
Rated :

Its 2044 and time travel hasn’t been invented yet. But in thirty years time it will be. And then promptly criminalised, which means of course that only the criminals use it, and mainly they use it to send people they want killed back in time. In the future there is no way of disposing a body, tracking and tags and whatnot, but for the “loopers” of 2046 it really isn’t such a big deal. A person comes back, hooded and in a straight-jacket. They murder him with a blunderpuss, burn the body, and go collect the money. And every once in a while the looper discovers that the body is his future self. It is an extra big pay day and an end to his doing hits for the mob. Plus the knowledge that in thirty years time he’ll be dead.

Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, the youngest looper. And he is about to complete his loop and meet his future self.

Looper

This isn’t the best film ever made. But it is a good solid bit of entertainment. The action is all well shot, the acting is great and overall it is worth watching.

I did have some issues with the time travel bit though. I know, they went all hand-wavery and tried to have Bruce-Joe explain it all as mights and possibilities, but that doesn’t really wash with me. I mean, the past is the past. Doesn’t matter that you’ve gone back in time, in your time-line all that stuff still happened 30 odd years ago. Show Spoiler ▼

I also thought that Gordon-Levitt did a great job of playing a couple of Willis mannerisms without going all out and imitating him. The two Joes are very different characters. One is a young up and coming hit-man, out to have a good time and make some money. The other has lived a life and a half and come through the other side. He has something to fight for, something no one will take from him…

Show Spoiler ▼

But once you don’t get too caught up in the whole time travel issues and the paradoxes that fill the screen you should enjoy this film. Like I said at the beginning of this post, it isn’t *the* film of the year, don’t buy into the hype, but it is a good film.

Other reviews: Screen Rant (spoilers) ; University Times ;

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4 Responses

  1. Liviania says:

    I can deal with a little time-travel wonkiness. I'm just excited to see this one – Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt together again!
    Liviania´s last blog post ..Movie Monday: Dark Shadows Giveaway!

    • Fence says:

      They did Brick together didn't they? Wasn't such a huge fan of Brick. It was entertaining, and I could see what they were trying to do, but the noir-detective feel starring teenagers didn't quite work for me :)

  2. Gavin says:

    Time-travel "inaccuracies" don't bother me as long as the story holds together. Looper does, and then some. I loved it.
    Gavin´s last blog post ..The Graveyard Book – Week One