Film: Looper

GENRE: Action/Sci-Fi/Drama

RATING: R for violence, language, nudity & drugs

RUNTIME: 1 hour and 58 minutes

STARRING: Bruce Willis (Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, Red)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick, Inception, Dark Knight Rises)

DIRECTOR: Rian Johnson (Brick, Breaking Bad eps)

WRITERS: Rian Johnson (Brick, Brothers Bloom)

PLOT: Using time travel, assassination targets are sent 30 years into the past where a hired gun is waiting. One of Joe’s targets is his future self.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 What a clever script! While Looper’s premise may seem confusing, everything is nicely explained, except the ending of course. I think I may need to give Brothers Bloom a chance since I have thoroughly enjoyed Johnson’s work on Brick and Looper.

2 Joseph Gordon-Levitt does an amazing job as Joe. While the prosthetics helped him look like Bruce Willis, he also added elements of Willis into his speech and smirks. He doesn’t go overboard like he’s doing an impersonation but he does so very subtly. He is a treat to watch. All the other acting in this film is also to notch, even the little kid.

3 While most directors would go all out for scenes taking place in 2072, Johnson smartly keeps it low-key with some elements here and there. Great job restraining yourself and focusing on the story and the characters, Rian.

4 I think the one thing missing from this film is more humour. There’s some great lines but I was hoping for some more lightness mixed with the pathos.

5 What I found most interesting about this film is I didn’t know who to root for. Everyone seemed to have good reasons to do what they do. Again, that’s a credit to Johnson’s amazing script and the acting chops of his cast. Kudos.

RECOMMENDATION: Watch it in theatres, it’s worth it

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