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| Courtesy of TriStar |
Rian
Johnson is known for writing and directing films that ask more from audiences
than typical Hollywood fare (Brick, The Brothers Bloom). Some people might
find that off-putting, but I absolutely welcome it. There’s nothing wrong with
sequels, remakes and comic book adaptations, but sometimes you want to watch a
movie than you haven’t seen 10 times before.
His
latest certainly fits into that category. Looper is a time travel story that
employs the concept in a fresh and entertaining way. Factor in dazzling
performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt, and the
result is a film likely on its way to becoming a sci-fi classic.
In
2072, time travel has been invented but it’s illegal. As such, only powerful
criminal organizations use it. When those groups want someone to disappear,
they send the victim 30 years into the past, where a hired gun – a “looper” –
is waiting to do the job and dispose of the body. Joe (Gordon-Levitt) is one of
the best, murdering lots of people and making a ton of money doing it.
Life
is good until his bosses decide to “close his loop,” meaning the next person
sent back in time for him to kill is the future version of himself (Willis). Ordinarily,
that’s when a looper celebrates: his contract is ripped up and he’s given a
boatload of cash to live out his final years in style. But Old Joe manages to
get away, meaning both he and Young Joe become the targets of some very nasty
people (including a quietly menacing Jeff Daniels). How single mom Sara (Blunt)
and her young son (Pierce Gagnon) factor in is best left unexplained.
Full
disclosure: time travel stories are my weakness, so I was predisposed to love Looper before I even saw a frame of film. But Johnson isn’t content to coast
on brain-bending paradoxes and “what happens if?” scenarios. He also packs the
film with compelling, fully-realized characters, each of whom has a perfectly
good reason to make sure the future changes or stays the same.
I
found myself switching allegiances several times throughout, mostly due to the
phenomenal work from everyone involved. Gordon-Levitt continues to demonstrate
why he’s one of the brightest talents of this generation. A Best Actor
nomination is likely out of the question, but that’s only because the Oscars generally
ignore sci-fi outright.
Unfortunately,
I can’t say I’m a fan of the prosthetics used to make Gordon-Levitt look like a
younger version of Willis. I’m not knocking the makeup, which is incredibly
realistic; the problem is that most of us know what the Die Hard actor looked
like three decades ago. And he didn’t resemble Gordon-Levitt in the slightest.
The whole issue was distracting enough to take me out of the movie for the
first 30 minutes or so. I got used to it after a while, but it still never felt
natural.
Speaking
of Willis, he delivers some of the best work of his career. I don’t want to
jinx it, but between his performance as Old Joe and his quiet turn in Moonrise
Kingdom earlier this year, maybe we’ve seen the last of smirking, sleepwalking
Willis for a while. (Whoops, A Good Day to Die Hard opens in 2013…never
mind.) Regardless, he brings genuine pathos to a role that could’ve been just
another one of his rah-rah action heroes.
Blunt,
after trying her hand at comedy for a few films, reminds viewers what a strong
dramatic actress she is. Her accent is spotty in places, but she matches
Gordon-Levitt and Willis in her intensity. Johnson also packs a host of solid
actors into smaller supporting roles, including Paul Dano, Piper Perabo, Garret
Dillahunt, the aforementioned Daniels and young Gagnon.
Part
of me wishes that Johnson had done more to tie up some loose ends in the
movie’s final minutes (I kept expecting some last second twist). But my
analytical side understands the power of leaving certain plot elements open to
the viewer’s interpretation.
Looper
isn’t perfect, but it’s stylish, original, clever and smart. I had a blast from
beginning to end. Unless something crazy happens in the next three months, it’s
got a great shot at making my 10 Best List in December.
Looper
is rated R for strong violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug
content.
Grade:
A-
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