Review: Looper

Going into Looper I had just heard incredible things and I was excited see what was dubbed as a "smart action film".  Unfortunately, this caused me to watch the film too analytically, instead of merely sitting back and enjoying this film.  As I was watching this film, I constantly was asking myself, "Am I enjoying this ... I think so."  I spent the whole movie asking the question, I'm not sure what I actually thought about it at the end.

I did enjoy it, until I tried to explain the plot and the movie seemed completely ridiculous.  If you explain this film to someone who hasn't even seen the trailers, its easy to get completely lost.  Let me try.  You see it involves people called Loopers, who kill people sent back in time.  The mob in the future sends a person they want dead, back in time and Loopers shoot them.  Can everyone go back in time? No, time travel was outlawed so only the most powerful mobs can do it.   Why can't the mob kill someone in the future?   Because its hard to get rid of a body in the future.   You're saying its easier to time travel in the future than to kill someone.  Yes?  So anyways Loopers are called Loopers because their service is over after they kill their future self and then they have 30 years to enjoy their life until the mob sends them back in time so  they can be killed by their younger self and their Loop is closed.  (Confusion).  Basically, Bruce Willis gets sent back and Gordon-Levitt, who plays the same character 30 years apart, fails to kill Willis and the story continues.  Oh and then there is this plot about telekinesis, the Rainmaker, a little boy, killing children, post-apocalyptic society, and all the normal time travel issues any time travel movie will have.  Yes, this movie has a lot going on.  Even still, if you can ignore the plot holes and accept the basic framework of the setting, you can enjoy the film, that is if you can get past a modified Joseph Gordon-Levitt-to-look-like-Bruce Willis face.  (I never really did.)

After thinking about this film (and you will think about this film, which is a major plus for me for any film even if I decide i didn't like the film), I believe Looper is well made and has some great performances by Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt.  I couldn't believe Blunt transformed herself from a proper British woman to a blonde gun tote'n American farmer-mother.  I liked how the characters react to their situation and how they adapt to time travel and its consequences.  The characters are complex and there are few one note characters in the film.  Each has his or her own flaws, strengths, and desires.  There is no evil or good clearly established by the film, but just damaged people with selfish or sacrificing motives.  Its up to the viewer to judge these characters.  The game of chess between Willis and Gordon-Levitt is also fascinating to watch.  The Willis/Gordon-Levitt character literally can talk to his younger self to give him advice and its interesting which one of them makes the final move in the film.  In a way this film is all about consequences, because the characters are very conscious of the effect their actions will have on the future.      

I would not recommend this film if you get stuck on plot holes, inconsistencies, and logic.  But if you able to get past it, you can enjoy a film which intertwines a web of competing characters with competing interests trying to find the best future for themselves.  Looper lets the viewer decide the relative morality of each of these wonderfully complex characters.