Old Joe
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Sep 26, 2012 · Rian Johnson's "Looper," a smart and tricky sci-fi story, sidesteps the paradoxes of time travel by embracing them. Most time travel movies run into trouble in the final scenes, when impossibilities pile up one upon another.
In a future society, time-travel exists, but it's only available to those with the means to pay for it on the black market. When the mob wants to eliminate someone, it sends the target into the ...
- (275)
- Rian Johnson
- R
- Bruce Willis
- An involving sci-fi thriller marked by fine performances.
- Verdict
By Jim Vejvoda
Updated: Nov 24, 2018 6:48 pm
Posted: Sep 6, 2012 3:15 pm
Jumping between the years 2044 and 2074, the sci-fi thriller Looper is about a hit man whose next and final target is himself. In this near future, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) serves as a “looper,” a hit man tasked with killing and disposing of criminals who have run afoul of the mob. But these victims come from 30 years in the future where time-travel exists but is illegal. The mob, however, employs it to transport their victims into the past since getting rid of a body is just that much tougher in 2074.
Joe’s work is all very mechanical: kill, dispose, kill, dispose. Loopers are relatively low on the criminal totem pole (“Gat Men” are the more elite of the future mob’s henchmen). The worst thing a Looper can do is let their loop get away as that brings all sorts of hell down on them. And every Looper knows that at some point, the mob will “close your loop,” or send your future self back for you to terminate. Joe’s troubles begin when his older self (Bruce Willis) is sent back for him to kill, but promptly escapes.
Older Joe has his own very specific mission in 2044, one that leads him to a young mom named Sara (Emily Blunt) and her troubled little boy, Cid (an impressive Pierce Gagnon). That’s all we’ll give away for now suffice to say that the dilemma for both Joes is deciding between the life you can make for yourself now or the one you will have in the future.
An understated sci-fi tale marked by strong main performances and an engaging, high-concept premise. Perhaps the best sci-fi film of 2012.
Sep 6, 2012 · Rian Johnson's inventive sci-fi drama Looper is an entrant in that same tradition — but the group that may be most surprised is the audience itself. If you've seen the trailer, you know the gist.
- Bryan Bishop
However, LOOPER is a layered and intelligent neo-noir science fiction with some striking images and emotional resonance. Full Review | Feb 13, 2020
Sep 28, 2012 · In Looper, time travel exists, but it is illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun, like Joe – is waiting to mop up.
Sep 8, 2012 · Spoiler-free: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis star in Looper, a sci-fi thriller that's amongst the best genre movies of the year...
