A complex maze of time travel and assassins, “Looper”, starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, reveals the dark side of time travel.
The story, set in 2044 in Kansas City, begins with Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) explaining his job as a looper.
In the film, time travel is outlawed in the future and only used by criminals to dispose of bodies. They send victims thirty years back, where a “looper” kills them and disposes their body, taking the silver that is attached to the body as pay.
However, when crime bosses want to eliminate the evidence, they send the looper’s future self back in time to be killed by their younger self. The loopers only realize that they have killed their future selves when they check the victim and find bars of gold, giving them enough money to live out their next 30 years in luxury.
The plot picks up when Old Joe (Bruce Willis) escapes execution by his younger self and starts a quest to find and kill the younger version of ‘The Rainmaker’, a mysterious crime boss who unexplainably closes all the loops in the future.
“Looper” is a good mix of science fiction and action centered around a unique plot. The film is incomparable to most other movies, due to its inventive plot and setting.
The film is quite graphic, showing blood splatter every time an execution occurs. However, the gore, which is far from being excessive, adds authenticity by exposing the violence that is inherent with any type of organized crime.
The cinematography, while nothing to brag about, never detracts from the experience of the viewer.
“Looper” steps over the intense CGI needed to convey the process of time travel by having people suddenly appear in just one frame. The best special effects in the movie are seen when a young boy demonstrates his telekinetic powers.
On the other hand, the film isn’t as thought provoking as the commercials make it seem. Viewers looking for an enigmatic movie like “Inception” will be disappointed by “Looper”.
Elements of the plot involving time travel are sometimes confusing and don’t always follow a logical sequence. The writers do utilize the theme of time travel by showing the gruesome methods of torture used by the criminals.
Overall, I give the movie three and a half out of five stars. Although it isn’t a masterpiece like “The Dark Knight” or “American History X”, “Looper” is worth the time.
After the first viewing of the film, I was left confused by the sometimes contradictory elements of the plot. However, after reflecting on the film, I began to understand the intricacies that make the film coherent.
Viewers looking for a film with action, fighting, and time travel will be delighted by “Looper”. The film definitely deserves a second viewing in order to appreciate the small details that are easily passed over the first time.
Although some people won’t think it is worth the money needed to go to the movies, nothing will be lost by watching the movie on DVD.
So if you’re ever bored and looking for a movie to kill some time, be sure to check out “Looper”. It will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on December 31.