Looper

Directed by: Rian Johnson

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt,

Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, & Paul Dano.

Released: 2012

Runtime: 118 minutes

Rating: 4/5

Okay so this is the hard part; explaining the mind bending plot for this film. Yet it’s a plot that’s actually quite easy to follow; strange right?

It’s the year 2044. Time travel has not yet been invented but in thirty years time not only has it been invented but also its use outlawed. Except for sophisticated crime syndicates who secretly use the time travel to dispose of undesirables, by sending them back in time to 2044 for execution by specializes assassins called loopers.  Now the phrase ‘closing the loop’ means when the older self of a looper is sent back to be killed but their present day self or younger self. There is an up and down side this, the looper receives a hefty pay day but must live with the knowledge that he only has thirty years left to live. This is what happens a highly regarded young looper named Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt);  but he fails to kill his older self (Bruce Willis), which violates the one rule loopers are expected to obey, never let your target escape, even if that target is you.  Now Joe is on the run from his criminal colleagues led by Jeff Daniels, older Joe wishes to change his future by eliminating a young boy who will one day become a powerful enemy.  Younger Joe finds himself on a corn farm where a young woman named Sara (Emily Blunt) and her son Cid (Pierce Gagnon) live; Sara allows Joe to take refuge so he can decide his next move. I could go on and on believe me, but I think that’s more than enough and I really must stop before I pull out the little hair I have left on my head.

Well first I’ll say that this is a time travel movie done well. I was unable to find any real plot holes, I’m sure there are some but I was just to busy doing mental somersaults over the film’s concept which is mind bending to say the least. Many have said this already and I do agree that its Terminator meets Inception, that’s probably the best way to describe the film to someone in once short sentence if you’re pressed for time.  It’s a very clever film that’s extremely well written, it’s really something very unique. And much more violent than I was originally expecting and it’s really bloody. It adds to the film’s tone which I sensed an overall bleakness about it.

The three main characters are very strong, especially older Joe who I found to be very interesting. You could say he’s the villain but from his point of view the acts he commits are cases of justified evil. Our characters face some pretty unusual moral dilemmas.

Sating the obvious, Joseph Gordon-Levitt looks strangely different as a result of some impressive make-up work to I suppose make him resemble Bruce Willis, which he doesn’t but you still believe they’re the same person.  Now is it me or is Emily Blunt almost too sexy? That part when she’s out on her front porch pretending to smoke a cigarette; for me that was borderline torture, what an image!

Looper was fantastic, a truly exciting and unique modern science fiction thriller. This time travel stuff really does fry your brain. I loved that we were given a moment of classic Bruce Willis style action, it didn’t really fit well with the film, it’s actually a tad degrading but it was so much fun to watch. It’s an excellent film. 

Review: Cop Land (1997)

Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone) is the sheriff of Garrison, New Jersey; peaceful and quiet, suburban community that is located directly across the river from Manhattan. Garrison is populated by an unusually large number of New York City policemen; and after a controversial incident involving a hero cop, Sherriff Heflin slowly discovered that his town is a front for organised crime and police corruption.

Cop Land is an excellent, gritty police drama that’s very much underrated. The plot is slow paced but it’s never for a minute boring. It’s an intriguing story about that fine line between right and wrong and justifying the choices we make in life. There is also a strong “us vs. them” mentality within the police force that the film conveys very well. You could call the film an urban western.

The cast is excellent and extremely strong, with Stallone giving one of the best performances of his career. His character is that of a man who is sympathetic, quiet and soft spoken, torn between doing the right thing and protecting his cop buddies that he has always admired. Robert DeNiro, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick and Harvey Keitel are all great in their supporting roles. There is a brief exchange between DeNiro and Keitel’s character that I really love; on the surface they appear civil and friendly towards each other but beneath there is a tremendous amount of animosity, especially from Keitel’s characters; it’s just written all over his face. It’s a terrific scene between two great actors with little dialogue yet it speaks volumes about these two individuals. 

I really wish this film could have been longer; it needed to be longer, as the story is quite complex and some of the many fascinating characters could have been more developed. They’re the type you just want to know more and more about. But apart from that it’s a great film.