If you’ve seen the advertisements for Rian Johnson’s latest film, Looper, then you know that it’s a time travel story with a violent crime element. The concept, that of mobsters from the future sending targets back in time (via very illegal time machines) so that they can be killed and disposed of by specialized hit men called loopers, sounds convoluted, sure. But to try to explain the logistics of the plot or to fill out more of its details in this space would make things even more confusing. Plus, figuring out why everything that happens is happening is much of the joy of watching the film, and there are even domestic drama and horror elements that creep into Johnson’s script that were never hinted at in the ads and are probably best left as mysteries. So, let’s not do too much plot recap. Just know that it all works in practice.
What is essential to say is that our main character is one of these loopers, a guy named Joe, and he’s being played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Joe’s life is sad, but going well enough. He does his hits, he enjoys recreational drugs, the prostitute he regularly visits is rather good looking... but everything suddenly goes to hell when his latest hit blinks into existence and winds up being a future version of himself (now played by Bruce Willis). What to do when faced with the task of killing yourself? What’s the high stakes task that future Joe has escaped his younger self’s clutches in order to pull off, and how might it change the future? The game of cat and mouse that Gordon-Levitt and Willis engage themselves in is full of thrills, but Looper’s main focus isn’t its sci-fi action, it’s more about its sci-fi ideas. The layers of interesting questions brought up by the film’s non-stop twists and turns are the meat of the experience here, and it’s all compelling enough stuff that you’ll find yourself lingering outside the theater after the end credits, going over the fine points with your friends. Looper is a movie that sticks with you.
That’s not solely because of nerdy logic problems either. The film also brings a strong human element to everything it presents. If there’s one thing Johnson’s script does exceptionally well, it’s flip-flop your perspective from character to character, put everyone’s motivations at odds with one another, and constantly give you new reasons to switch your allegiance from player to player. Looper isn’t a tale of good vs. evil, it’s a story with infinite shades of gray that will have you at times rooting for Gordon-Levitt’s young Joe, at times rooting for Willis’ old Joe, and at times rooting for a mother and son duo (played by Emily Blunt and an excellent child actor named Pierce Gagnon) who become tangled up in things in unexpected ways. This isn’t a story about preventing the end of the world or securing a big-money score, everyone here is fighting for their family, their happiness, their identity. The stakes in Looper are extremely personal, and the circumstances are such that only one party can come out on top. It makes for an affecting tale, to say the least.
Willis doesn’t often show an incredible amount of range, but he’s always had an undeniable star presence, and he’s always been better at playing gruff tough guys than almost anyone else. Looper works as one of the best star vehicles he’s had in quite a while, because all that it essentially asks of him is to play the wounded but defiant anti-hero that’s defined his career up to this point. Gordon-Levitt has a much harder job, because while these two are playing the same character, they’re also both playing versions of the well-established Willis persona. Bruce just has to be himself, but JGL has to be believable as a young Bruce. He does a great job, not only effortlessly acting through the prosthetics that make his face more resemble Willis’, but also seamlessly recreating Willis’ affectations, while never feeling like he’s just doing an impersonation of the man. Gordon-Levitt isn’t playing first Die Hard-era John McClane, he’s playing the younger version of this Joe character, who’s a unique enough spin on the Willis archetype to keep it all from feeling gimmicky and lame. He had a fine line to walk in being believable as a young Willis but still crafting a unique character with a unique performance, and he walks it with confidence and skill.
Anyone who’s seen either of Johnson’s previous films, Brick or The Brother’s Bloom, know that his hand as a director is just as assured as his hand as a writer. Consequently, Looper is well-crafted and pleasant to watch all the way through. That’s not to say that it’s absolutely perfect though. Somewhere between the second and third acts some pacing issues show up. At this point in the story there’s a whole lot of stuff going on and a whole lot of players working different angles, yet some scenes are allowed to slow down to a crawl. A film that feels like it should be a breakneck roller coaster ride can sometimes stutter when changing from gear to gear. And, as with any other story that heavily involves time travel, there are some logic gaps and possible plot holes that linger around the edges of things. Once or twice you can’t help but ask yourself rhetorical questions that sound something like, “Well, if that’s possible, then why doesn’t he just...” These are small hiccups that don’t manage to derail what’s generally a captivating, dense, intelligent bit of sci-fi filmmaking, however, so they shouldn’t stop you from giving this one a shot in the theater. I didn’t think there was anyone out there who could give Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) a run for his money when it comes to making science fiction that’s high-minded and still tons of fun, but, with Looper, Rian Johnson appears to have done just that.
