Certification. 15
Running Time. 1 hour 59 mins
Director. Rian Johnson
Cast. Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Paul Dano, Pierce Gagnon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Noah Segan, Bruce Willis.
Rating. 56%
Rian Johnson burst onto the scene with a remarkable debut outing, Brick. The film received the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Between Brick and Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson wrote and directed Looper.
Looper is an intelligent, dystopian, time travel adventure that sees Joseph Gordon-Levitt star as hired killer, Joe Simmons. The opening narration introduces the storyline,
"Time travel has not yet been invented. But thirty years from now, it will have been. It will be instantly outlawed, used only in secret by the largest criminal organisations. It's nearly impossible to dispose of a body in the future... I'm told. Tagging techniques, whatnot. So when these criminal organisations in the future need someone gone, they use specialised assassins in our present called 'loopers.'"
The opening hour, particularly through the screenplay written by Rian Johnson, alludes to the prospect of a high-concept, neo-noir science fiction thriller, but the second half falters in a melee of half-formed ideas, secondary storylines and unexplored sub-plots.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is convincing enough as the young assassin, but his attempt to establish the character is soon overshadowed by those in the make-up department. Joseph Gordon-Levitt apparently underwent significant prosthetic work to bring his profile in line with Bruce Willis. Gordon-Levitt even adopts Willis' distinctive smirk to great effect, and when both characters meet in a diner the likeness is uncanny. But this is an unnecessary distraction. Such was the transformation, I routinely questioned whether it was indeed Gordon-Levitt or another actor on-screen.
Whilst the ever-watchable Emily Blunt brings an element of softness to the storyline in her portrayal of single mother, Sara, her appearance also signifies an unwelcome change in direction. To that point, the intelligent, neo-noir opening gives way to a much less interesting, derivative narrative. A potentially demonic child character is introduced to the storyline; a foreign body more at home in a completely different genre of film, The Bad Seed, The Omen or Children Of The Corn.
Looper culminates in a brash, problematic finale which is in stark contrast to the appealing opening elements. As a result, Looper is both impressive and underwhelming in equal measure.
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