Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Looper’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It's amazing how much influence a movie trailer can have upon us. Because when the screen goes dark and the trailers get underway, you are either blown away by a collection of powerful scenes that have you marking down your calendar so you don't miss that particular film, or you are left utterly confused as to what you just witnessed and wonder if you should rush out see that movie or wait until it arrives on DVD or Netflix.  

Sometimes we take a chance on that 'other' film and find ourselves disgusted with the fact we just wasted ten bucks on a movie that we certainly did not enjoy, or we do indeed wait to watch it later and find ourselves stunned when we are treated to an incredible gem of a film, one that knocks our socks off, and we are left sitting there, wondering, why the trailer didn't hint at the fact that this story would be so incredible. You almost feel cheated in a way. I, however, simply feel foolish for missing out on not experiencing an amazing movie sooner. As was the case for me when it comes to the fascinating film; Looper.

Set in Kansas in the year 2044 we meet a young man who works for the mob named Joe. Joe has a unique position within the criminal underworld, he is a hitman known as a 'Looper', a man who eliminates the mob's enemies the instant they arrive...from the future. In 2074, time travel is invented and outlawed, and in order to evade the advanced forensic technology of the time, those deemed expendable are sent into the past to be killed and disposed of. For men like Joe, there comes a time when the mob no longer needs them, and they are sent into retirement by killing their future selves, effectively 'closing the loop', and as fate would have it, Joe's time has come at last, but the older version of himself...isn't going down without a fight. 

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​Time travel stories are always a tough venture because they run the risk of being too smart for their own good since they can quickly lose themselves in the technology and the details surrounding time travel, pulling us away from the story and thankfully that wasn't the case with Looper. Rather than break down the technology and theories and all the other techno-babble that goes into time travel, this film chose to focus on the fascinating concept of meeting one's older self and learning what we have become, and this was achieved by way of some top notch acting.

Portraying Joe at the two various stages of his life are Joseph Gordon-Levitt as young Joe and Bruce Willis as old Joe and they do not disappoint when it comes to their performances. Joseph does an incredible Bruce Willis, and with a little help from some prosthetics he manages to resemble Bruce physically, but the magic in this film is that you completely buy the fact that on screen, this is the same man. Not to mention, this motion picture manages to visually combine the dystopia of Blade Runner with the world we live in today while holding on to our love of American nostalgia. Truly it is a visual feast, and while it is a little slow in the middle, Looper impresses with its strong cast and unique twists on the tired time travel genre and there are definitely some jaw dropping moments when it comes to how present events can influence the future.  

But the best part of this film is the fascinating story arc that revolves around young and old Joe. That despite their unique experiences, their distinct difference in age and the fact that they both have differing opinions on what must happen next, deep down this is the same man, just at different physical stages of his life. It is a unique perspective which allows the film to pose a powerful question, can we ever truly change? The ending is one that is hopeful, but it plays with you at the same time, because that question hovers over the final moments of this motion picture. Either way, don't make the mistake I did and second guess whether this film may or may not be good, it's awesome in fact, and accessible to any fan of science fiction and anyone out there who outright loves cinema. 

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