Looper (2012)

Written by CinemaSerf on February 22, 2025

At the start this reminded me a little of “Jumper” (2008) as it delivers a cleverly crafted idea of how murder might look in the 22nd century. It’s the ruthless “Joe” (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is in the employ of the mob and is routinely and lucratively waiting for their troublemakers to be sent back a few decades in time so he can eliminate them and leave no modern day traces of the crime.  The snag with this operation for the “looper” is, though, that sooner or later they themselves have to get rubbed out and so as they age, they (now Bruce Willis) have to anticipate that they will be attacked. It’s Bruce who has well prepared for this eventuality and manages to thwart the attempts of his younger self - thanks to some well placed gold bars - and that leaves them both playing a deadly game of cat and mouse so as not to earn the enmity of their maniacal boss (Jeff Daniels). This is one of my favourite time travel action movies with an on form action hero in Willis looking like he is enjoying himself being chased by his own heroin addicted alter-ego, and each time the story resets it does so with additional information about not just these characters but also of the world that they are indirectly helping to create in the future. This helps stop this becoming a repetitive recycling of events and the arrival of the young “Sara” (Emily Blunt) and her own son (Pierce Gagnon) who has his own form of superpower adds a familial dynamic to the mystery that augments rather clutters up the mystery. There are visual effects but they are used sparingly, and despite a slight dry spell in the middle whilst the story seems to recalibrate a little, it’s held together well by two stars who enter into the spirit of the things and by a plot that’s eerily realistic (in a “Dr. Who” sort of fashion). It’s not perfect, but it is quirky, imaginative and I enjoyed it.