Looper

Review by Sean Lynch

There are very few original movies these days. As a movie reviewer I see an incredible number of films each week, it gets to a point that - much like a mathematician - you eventually can start seeing patterns, frameworks and sequences before they even happen.

So it's so incredibly fufilling to come across a film maker like Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom) who so consistently manages to subvert your expectations and pre-concieved ideas while still embracing everything that's wonderful about genre's and their often ignored qualities.

What's even more exciting about his latest, Looper, is that there is essentially two completley sufficient stand alone films at play here. Either one could be sold to you quite convincingly with one sentence - yet he decides to merge both thus enriching this wonderful cinematic experience.

Now, I'm not about to give away the second story tangent - I'll leave that for you to discover. So, let's explore the most common selling point of Looper : time travel...

The flick kicks off in the year 2046, a future in which time travel has yet to be invented. However, we soon find out that it soon will be but will be illegal and only available for use on the black market by mafia scumbag types. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a "looper" - a gun for hire - will be waiting to mop up.

Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt in simalteneously off-putting yet strangely accurate "Young Bruce" make up) is one of those aforementioned loopers. He's got himself a pretty good deal going, gets rich, kills effectively, it's all roses... until the day the mob decides to "close the loop," sending back Joe's future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination.

From here an ever evolving series situations play out, as often is the case when time travel is involved, when "Old Bruce" manages to escape the clutches of "Young Bruce". To give much more away would simply be cheating you of some of the most unpredictable and enjoyable filmmaking of 2012, the sort of layered and rich storytelling that proves just how soulless and uncreative the Total Recall remakes of the world really are.

That said, highlights include wonderful performances and interplay between Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt and Jeff Daniels as well as some (one can only assume fanboy inspired) classic Bruce Willis moments. And for the creeps out there, Coyote Ugly's Piper Perabo gets her butt and tatties out... and they're pretty great.

But seriously, Looper is all kinds of awesome. You would be a fool to miss it.

4 out of 5

Looper
Australian release: 27th September, 2012
Official Site: Looper
Cast: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels
Director: Rian Johnson