back into 2044 by criminal organisations from the year 2074 who wish to dispose of them without
any problems, they then send back the loopers future self this is called “closing the loop” giving
them a set time of 30 years to live. Looper follows the story of Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a young
looper who allows his future self to escape, while his future self “old Joe” (Bruce Willis) has set
himself the task of killing the future leader of these organisations in the future, the Rainmaker. Who
is at the moment, a young child.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performance as a cold hearted hitman who seems to become disillusioned
with his lifestyle is brilliant, although I believe slightly clichéd, what with the seemingly borderline
romantic relationship with Suzie, a showgirl providing for her young daughter, with a similar story
in The Mechanic remake starring Jason Statham. A drug addicted killer who has not a worry in the
world apart from learning French and if the latest target will be on target. This all changes when
his colleagues Loops begin to close at an alarming rate, making him think about his lifestyle more
intensely he even states at the beginning of the film that it is not for the forward thinking. Bruce
Willis plays the role of Old Joe spectacularly, the believability of his situation and feelings are
shoved in your face with no sense of relent the feeling of loss and pain eager to show themselves
through his acting, and his annoyance and irritability at the younger Joe like an old man at a group of
teenagers on his lawn makes you believe, while still making it scarily believable that Joseph Gordon
Levitt (through the use of prosthetic make up) and Willis are in fact the same person, especially
in the diner scene, which actually in my mind was laughable, seeing the same person sat opposite
each other ordering the same thing. At first I thought that Old Joe was the “better” version of Joe,
after going through so much in the past and learning from his mistakes. This is true, up to a point. It
turns out he returned to the past to kill a young boy, the Rainmaker. The future crime lord who is in
control of everything to do with Loopers. There is an air of wisdom to his character and a feeling that
he has reformed himself, his intention may be good, but this is the argument that, is it better to kill
someone who could grow up to be evil or could grow up to become good if given the chance? This
presents the problem that, out of the two lead characters, out of the two of them can you actually
side emotionally with them? One being a drug addicted self-preserving killer, the other being a
reformed version of this who wishes to do something unspeakable to change events in the future to
preserve something he cares deeply for.
Emily Blunt, the supporting cast member who portrays a loving mother who only wishes to protect
what is her, bringing a balance to the film from the intentional emotional puzzle that is Old Joe and
Young Joe. Having learned from her past and doing everything she can to help bring her son up in a
secure environment free from harm.
This is a version of the future free from the post-apocalyptic setting of the film Zenith and The Book
of Eli, taking on a more realistic future, the only notions of it being the future being the hover bikes,
police helicopter like aircraft, holographic billboards and eye drop drugs. Allowing the viewer to
refrain from getting distracted by the technological advances of this version of the future, while
letting them focus on the story. The TK (telekinesis, TK being the given name in the film) effects
are awe inspiring, from the simple levitating of a quarter to the astounding lack of gravity scene in
which everything from blades of grass to a full grown Bruce Willis is lifted into the air in suspended
animation.
What happens when you mess with a TK.
The music in this film adds to the setting effectively without being the usual “sad song/positive
song” feel that I get when I watch films. For example after Willis’ character makes an impossible
decision, the music makes you feel his pain. Without making you hate him for what he did, instead
feeling slightly sorry for him for having to make these decisions for the reasons he did. But also
during the scene, reminding you of the dark nature of what he did, the music in this film adds to the
intensity and emotion of it.
Overall I enjoyed Looper, bringing a new direction to the sci-fi genre, the hybrid that is the action
being exciting and fun, slightly nostalgic when you see Willis in these scenes. It isn’t scared to face
deep emotional dilemmas and question time travel themed films, bluntly telling you how things areand then getting on with the story at hand.
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