Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) starts the movie as an ace assassin looper for the organized crime syndicate in Kansas during the year 2044. His job is to kill any person beamed back from the year 2072 via illegal time travel. It is nearly impossible to kill and dispose of someone in the future. Only the mafia has access, well, because they are the mafia.
Joe sums it up as, "When my organization from the future wants someone to die, they zap them back to me and I eliminate the target from the future. The only rule is: never let your target escape... even if your target is you."
Therein lies the overriding plot: each person must end their own loop. This means that after their lucrative 30-year contract ends, they must eliminate themselves. This entails shooting a hooded version of themselves transported back. Confused? It all makes sense within the movie - but it is impossible to go into further detail without ruining the story.
Things go awry when Joe is confronted with his older self who manages to escape. As both of their destinies become intertwined, the plot turns in many unexpected directions. I was surprised to draw parallels between "Back to the Future," "Terminator 2," "Grapes of Wrath," and "The Shining." Notice how difficult it is to pinpoint this movie to just one genre?
After the first ten minutes, you do not even question the difference between young and old Joe as far as appearances go. Both are seamless in their makeup and mannerisms. Apparently JGL spent weeks simply learning how to act and look like Bruce Willis. It paid off.
Bruce Willis almost feels like the bad guy in this story as he tries to re-gain the life that has been taken from him at any cost. Willis thrives in his role and hasn't seemed quite this motivated in a long time. It is easily my favorite performance of his since, "The Sixth Sense," or "Pulp Fiction."
Since the future is set only in 2044, it does not go overboard with spaceships and aliens. You only pick up slivers of future technology, as it is not overly important to the plot. There are still flying motorcyles and time travel that add depth, but it is a character-driven movie.
Both Willis and Levitt turn in predictably awesome performances. My favorite moments involved mob boss Abe (Jeff Daniels), fellow looper Jesse (Garret Dillahunt), and a mysterious child named Cid (Pierce Gagnon).
"Looper," is the type of movie that has garnered praise from everyone, deservedly so. The last science fiction movie that has honestly compared, was 2009's "District 9." Both movies depicted not-so-distant futuristic dystopias that were created on modest budgets. If you are tired of endless prequels, this movie should re instill your faith in fresh and new film making.
Rejoice, because this is turning into one hell of a movie season!
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