Inception alumnus Joseph Gordon-Levitt appeared in another psychological thriller and action movie alongside action movie veteran Bruce Willis, but this time, Gordon-Levitt was the star. Looper opened on Sept. 28 in theaters and was well-received by audiences.
The plot is definitely interesting to say the least. With nonstop action and plot twists and admittedly gruesome scenes, the movie is not for the faint of heart.
The movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis as Young Joe and Old Joe respectively, who happens to be hitman (called a “looper” in the movie). Both Gordon-Levitt and Willis play this character, but in different time periods. As in one is from the future. Or past. Or present. In short, it’s not exactly the most stable of relationships.
In the dystopian future, time travel is invented but outlawed. Crime bosses from this time use the loopers to dispose of bodies secretly by sending them back in time to a time when the loopers, who are in the past, can dispose of them.
But alas, the plot twist: the leaders of the future who banned time travel use this system to rid the society of the former loopers by sending them back in time to get killed. By their former selves. This system is called “closing the loop,” and after getting a large payout for essentially killing themselves, the loopers are able to spend the next 30 years of their life however they would like.
But on occasion, loopers do not kill their future selves, called “let their loop run,” messing up the time periods. This is essentially a death sentence to the loopers.
This is what happens to Joe, played by Gordon-Levitt. He encounters Willis’s character, his future self, and is overpowered by Willis. The crime bosses find out and, not wanting to change the future, chase after both Willis and Gordon-Levitt. Young Joe (Gordon-Levitt) meets a young mother (Emily Blunt) who lets him take shelter in her farm house with her unusual child. From there, the rest is history—actually, future.
The cinematography is done very well, and shows everything that the audience needs to see, or as the case may be, not want to see i.e. the rather gruesome and bloody scenes. The squeamish would not enjoy the scenes very much as everything is shown. I mean EVERYTHING is shown. Someone exploding in slow motion? Yep, that’s in there.
The ending is definitely not expected, making the audience think about it before clapping. Silence falling over the audience as the credits roll is not unusual. This movie is definitely one that someone might need to lie down afterwards and think it through again, it’s that good. Or mind-blowing, whichever one is more fitting.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
