by Shannon Vestal
Looper gives you a lot to wrap your mind around. Two actors (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis) play the same character at different ages, one of whom exists in 2044, and the other 30 years beyond that. They come together in a complex time-travel plot that has the potential to be confusing, but writer/director Rian Johnson's inspired storytelling overcomes all these hurdles. The strength of all its elements, including the performances, story, and special effects, make it an impressive film and a new classic in the sci-fi genre.
The film follows Gordon-Levitt's character Joe, a hitman who kills his targets after they're briefly zapped back from the future to receive their death (since the cleanup is far easier in Joe's present of 2044). The understanding for Joe and his "looper" colleagues is that, eventually, each man will have to kill the older version of himself, and after that they will only have 30 more years to live. The older Joe (played by Willis) is hardly resigned to his fate: he escapes, not only because he doesn't want to die, but also because he has an agenda. Emily Blunt also stars as a woman who takes the younger Joe in when the chase between him and older Joe intensifies. Many filmmakers have visions of disastrous dystopian futures, but Johnson's feels more grounded than most, and with a great deal more imagination.
To find out why I liked Looper so much, just keep reading.
