Coming this fall season with action and thrills is the new film “Looper,” written and directed by Rian Johnson. The film stars one of the greatest action stars to hit the big screen, Bruce Willis, and fresh uprising star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who has recently made a killing in the box office as Detective John Blake in “The Dark Knight Rises,” directed by Christopher Nolan.
Since being cast in “The Dark Knight Rises” and as Arthur in another one of Nolan’s masterpieces, “Inception”, Gordon-Levitt has been praised by movie fanatics all over the globe and has even been proposed as the next Leonardo DiCaprio.
Like Gordon-Levitt, Willis was at the top of his game and had a little practice for the role as well, as he appeared as in “The Expendables 2: Back For War”. Although he didn’t have as much screen time as was predicted, every time he appeared onscreen he was nothing less than the pure awesomeness we have come to expect from him. His character “old Joe,” opposite of Levitt, could easily be compared to the “Die Hard” character John McClane, minus the many explosions and “Yippie-ki-yay” catchphrase.
The story takes place in the distant future where telekinesis exists and time travel has not been invented…yet. Thirty years from that time it has already been developed and is outlawed. It is then only used by mob bosses who want to get rid of their dirty laundry. Joe, played by Gordon-Levitt, is a looper, a man paid by those in the future to kill the targets sent into the past.
All loopers are paid good money, and there is only one rule: never let your target escape, even if your target is you. When anyone commits to being a looper, they are in a sense selling their life away, for some time in the next 30 years they will be sent back by the mob as a target. This is called “closing a loop,” and a looper can only close their own loop, which they are given a very large compensation for.
When Joe accidentally lets his old self go, he’s forced to track him down, getting severely beaten by old Joe in the process. Eventually it is revealed exactly what old Joe’s plans are, and when Joe is attacked by his boss Abe, and Seth, another looper, Joe must run from them and find his old self in order to close the loop.
The film was an excellent way to start off the fall season by keeping audiences guessing and entertaining the masses through action, thrills, comedy and drama. The story was told very well, not dragging into a ramble through old Joe’s flashbacks and not moving too slowly through Joe’s life as a looper before he meets his future self.
The story felt very real as well, despite taking place in the year 2044, as not one emotion was left unexplored. Thanks to old Joe’s flashbacks, the audience was not left in the dark about anything. His entire life was presented, including depressing, romantic and comical moments in his lifetime.
The film even had some dark moments, such as when old Joe’s new plans were revealed. This moment marked a change in the tone of the film from action-comedy to gritty drama. This made the film more realistic and kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
“It was definitely one of the best action movies I’ve seen in a while. It was a great storyline and everything was executed perfectly,” said Trevor Moit, a freshman at Eastern Michigan University.
Though it didn’t open at No. 1, “Looper” has gathered many great reviews, being called astounding with great twists that enhance the story tenfold. Along with this, there was a controversial ending that is either loved or hated. Overall, the entire story was an amazing idea, contributing to one of the greatest original films of the year, and though there were a few moments of confusion, everything was resolved in the end.
“Looper” is rated-R and stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano and Jeff Daniels.
