It’s the year 2042 – anarchy is reigning and the mob are using black market time travel to zap their targets back in time where an assassin, dubbed a ‘Looper,’ awaits.
Joe (Gordon-Levitt) is one such assassin who ends up in a world of hurt when the mob decide to close his ‘loop’ by sending his future-self back to be killed. Not quite ready to die, future Joe, played by a top form Bruce Willis, makes a hasty escape and sets off on a mission to (naturally) save the world.
Here’s the part where your concentration must kick in – questions about time travel give the plot, and the audience, some seriously philosophical headspins.
The dynamic between Gordon-Levitt and Willis is electric, both characters on conflicting missions manage to raise some intense moral dilemmas.
With Emily Blunt thrown in as a thick skinned, over protective mother, the talented cast have you constantly swapping teams. None of the characters are particularly likable, but in the end you find yourself torn, and rooting for all of them with surprising attachment.
Sure the muscle is impressive (let’s face it, Bruce Willis was born to shoot machine guns), but it’s the heart and head of this film that take it above, beyond, and out of this world.
Good for: Those game enough to be emotionally and mentally assaulted
Verdict: Four stars
