Rian Johnson resurrects the almost forget genre of science fiction. While this summer’s Prometheus had some moments, it failed to be a groundbreaking work by any means, however Looper may become a sci-fi classic.
Looper takes place in a not so distant dystopia, where time travel is both real and outlawed. Though outlawed, criminals use time travel to send their enemies back in time to be whacked by hitman called “loopers.” Loopers are paid handsomely in silver, until their employers terminate their contracts by sending their future selves back to be killed. Their last paycheck is in gold, but with one caveat; they can’t let their future selves escape. Joe (Joseph Gordon Levitt, ((500) Days of Summer, 50/50, The Dark Knight Rises) lives a comfortably numb life as a looper until his next assignment is his older self (Bruce Willis, Moonrise Kingdom, Die Hard) and he lets him escape.
In order to reap all of Looper’s gifts, you’ll have to give yourself to the mythos of their laws of time travel. Sure, it’s sometimes (and perhaps ultimately) problematic, but the time travel aspect of the film merely acts as a plot device. The travel aspect of the film allows it to delve into the heart of science fiction; as Willis’ character says when asked how time travel works: “It doesn’t matter”. Looper uses extra-ordinary means to speculate on humanity not unlike a Philip K. Dick story: accented by its existential flair, posing questions about the ever transforming landscape of one’s self identity.
With Looper, Johnson doesn’t just step onto the more mainstream movie scene but charges. It’s a shame that he’s lost some of the distinction that came with his previous works Brick and The Brothers Bloom, but his style manages some charm and quirk.
In similar style to Children of Men, Johnson impeccably designs an exhausted and decrepit future, rotting from corruption and urban decay. Contrasting a gritty city exterior, is the sexy and decadent world of the loopers; a world of constant cyclic hedonism clouded by a Huxlian-Somatic haze.
The movie is well acted all around: Gordon-Levitt and Willis each shine on their own, while Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, Your Sister’s Sister) acts as the moral anchor to the film. Her dynamic performance illuminates the tremendous heart of a single mother, desperately trying to quell her anxieties while still being haunted by the toxic influence of the city. Jeff Daniels is also noteworthy as the enigmatic mob boss from the future, drawing strong parallels to Albert Brooks in Drive.
Even with all the head scratching, Looper delivers one of smarter and sleeker action blockbusters to grace the cinema in quite some while; it’s just a matter of time before you see it.
Pulp Diction 