Sorry for the delay, but welcome to my first Throwback Thursday Review of 2018! These next few months are going to be a little slow in regards to major releases, so I had some difficulty stringing together a slate of films to review each Thursday. However, there were quite a few Throwback Thursday Reviews from 2017 that never materialized (Looper included). Therefore, I'm incorporating them into my lineup. For those curious, I was originally going to review Looper the same week that Star Wars: The Last Jedi was released because both films were written and directed by Rian Johnson. I never really had a chance to sit down and rewatch the film though, so I decided to put off the review for later. As for upcoming January reviews, look forward to seeing Throwback Thursday Reviews of Paddington, The World's End, and The Shining, reviews of new releases Paddington 2, The Commuter, Proud Mary, 12 Strong, and Maze Runner: The Death Cure, and I'll be reviewing any films from 2017 that I missed out on as I watch them.
'Looper' Review
Looper transports audiences to the bleak, distant future of 2044. Thirty years later, time travel will be invented, but is only available for those willing to pay on the black market. When the mob needs to eliminate someone, they send the target back in time thirty years to be assassinated by hitmen known as "loopers." In order to fulfill the terms of their contract, loopers must kill all their targets (including a future version of themselves). Once their future self is dead, their loop (contract) is closed and they've earned thirty years of luxurious retirement. A young looper named Joe is one of the most skilled in his profession. He does his job well, gets paid, and doesn't ask questions. That is, until he recognizes his future self on the job and hesitates... giving his older self just enough time to fight back and escape. Now that his loop's unclosed and his employers are quick in pursuit, Joe must find and eliminate his older self by any means necessary if he's going to safeguard the future and live out the rest of his life.
Looper was written and directed by Rian Johnson as his third feature length film preceding Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Johnson's endless imagination and knack for creativity triumphantly shines through his stylistic storytelling. Johnson's ingenuity for taking an established idea, such as time travel, and uniquely incorporating it into his story is probably what landed him the Star Wars gig to begin with (on-top of being a talented director with a unique voice). Time travel is something that can go horribly wrong when handled incorrectly because of all the caveats and logistics of time paradoxes, but Johnson manages to minimize those issues and tell a story full of intellect and emotion.
Johnson put a great deal of care into imbuing understandable motivations for Joe and his older self, so audiences could grasp what each incarnation of Joe is fighting for, and even asks questions about identity and purpose one would expect in a story pitting a man against himself. It's all rather high concept, but deeply rooted in relatable terms. Joe and Old Joe each want to survive in order to accomplish a mission that's meaningful to them. What's so fascinating about all that is how each version of Joe is essentially fighting for the same thing (survival), but their desires drastically differ from one another. The older Joe thinks his life experience adds more credence to his quest while the younger Joe's inclination evolves from being simplistic to more complex the further involved he finds himself in the struggle.
Johnson's narrative never loses sight of character, so the emotional beats resonate and it's easy to quickly latch onto the characters and the concept. Otherwise, the film might have gotten lost in the shuffle of weighty sci-fi elements. In regards to its technical prowess, Looper features accomplished cinematography, exceptional editing, great grungy production design, and an enriching original score from Nathan Johnson. The action's appropriately intense and the prosthetics used to help Joseph Gordon-Levitt better resemble Bruce Willis aren't half bad.
On the other end of the spectrum, Bruce Willis seeps similar qualities into his portrayal of Old Joe. Willis' take on Joe is shaped by emotional trauma though, which allows Willis to demonstrate his skill in the realm of dramatic acting (something rarely seen from Willis these days). Willis finds a bold determination for the character amidst Joe's anger, pain, and strife that's subtly communicated to tremendous effect.
Sprinkled among the ensemble are superb showings from supporting players Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, and Pierce Gagnon in the roles of Sara, Abe, and Cid. Blunt, in particular, shines as she exhibits a believable balance between being a strong, protective mother and an emotionally compromised one. Daniels steals nearly every scene he's in, while Gagnon adds his name to the mile long list of adept young actors I've watched recently.
Looper is essentially a spiritual sibling to Inception because both films are intellectual, emotional, and pioneered by innovative minds. If there's one thing to be said about Rian Johnson, it's that he sure knows how to throw me for a loop!
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