LOOPER
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis
Directed by Rian Johnson
With both Brick a high school-set detective mystery and Brothers Bloom a criminally unappreciated caper comedy already to his credit, writer-director Rian Johnson has proven that hes well-versed in a variety of storytelling tropes and remarkably adept at grafting one genre onto another. Consequently, its unsurprising that the core concept of his third feature a sophisticated time travel actioner is imparted courtesy of film noir-style voice-over.
Arriving in 2044, were greeted by grave-toned Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a rather specialized hitman. Working for the mob of 2074, hes responsible for putting a hole into the unfortunate souls they flush 30 years down the timestream. Things proceed without a pang of conscience until one day Joe is suddenly staring down his future self (Bruce Willis) and proves incapable of pulling the trigger.
Johnsons knack for clever dialogue is clearly evident in a conversation between the Joes in which the elder barks, I dont want to talk about time travel sh*t. Well just end up drawing diagrams with straws.
A great comic moment, its also Johnsons assurance to his audience that Looper wont get bogged down with exposition. Instead, it utilizes a simple time-honoured question Would you go back in time to kill baby Hitler? as a springboard for countless inventive set pieces, the inspired incorporation of Western and supernatural elements, and thoughtful investigations of the concept of fate.
And while none of us know for certain what the future holds, Id put down good money on sci-fi fans revisiting this superior entertainment time and time again.
