There are some films that I will see, and then wait some time before making any comment. Then there are others that I cannot stop thinking about and which I need to write about almost immediately. Looper is one of those films.
Perhaps (and I hope) you have heard of it. In Looper, time travel is invented and immediately outlawed by 2074. The mob uses illegal time travel to send targets to a unique brand of hit man: the looper. Loopers collect bars of silver for their troubles, and spend their evenings in select clubs doing drugs in the form of eye drops, and in the company of hookers and other loopers. Thirty years later, a new boss known as the Rainmaker comes to power and begins 'closing all the loops' - sending hitmen back thirty years, to be eliminated by their younger self. This is accompanied by a hefty payout, of course, but what happens if you just can't do it? One of two fates, the first of which befalls Seth (a blonde Paul Dano, still most famous for Little Miss Sunshine, unless you saw the more recent Ruby Sparks). It is violent, frightening, and graphic, and involves a man known only as "the Doc." The second possibility is the story of Joe (Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis). Old Joe isn't ready to give up his life after thirty years. He has something to fight for - his wife. Younger Joe, of course, has no connection to this romantic idea and is perfectly willing to kill his older self if only to return to his life at present. Joe sees Old Joe as a completely separate person, perhaps only because he has had to prepare himself for the likely possibility that he will have to complete his loop - but Old Joe is on a mission to find the Rainmaker. In 2044, the Rainmaker is just a child, but one that will grow up to wield a great deal of power and be the reason for Joe's current situation. If Old Joe (or younger Joe, really) can find and kill this Rainmaker, then presumably Old Joe could return to his home, and his wife.
It's been a few years since the initial collaboration between writer/director Rian Johnson and leading man Joseph Gordon Levitt. Their first project, Brick, set both men on the map as having real potential and creators of fresh, original work (not easy to do). It also made JGL a leading man for the first time, and gave him a chance to showcase his dramatic chops. But whereas Brick turned film noir on its side by applying it to high school students, Looper takes the route of a curiously authentic sci-fi film. Mixing the old with the new isn't simply thematic, it's essential to the reality of the film. Joe uses a vintage-style stopwatch, a blunderbuss for a weapon, and prefers swanky red convertibles to the new motorcycle-based hovercrafts. Then again, 2044 isn't so far into the future. The glimpses that we do see of the future, in Shanghai, are carefully designed to create a bridge between Joe and Old Joe.
Most of what you read or find about Looper will highlight the work that went into drawing likenesses between Willis and Levitt. It is strange, how even with prosthetic, Levitt can look like himself and yet like Willis. He's able to suggest the Willis stare and any number of other recognizable traits, and the prosthetic seals the deal - as long as you don't look at the eyebrows, especially not in the awful bright daylight shots. Those were awful. Levitt's great, but those eyebrows were outlined in fat crayon. Other than that, the voice, the vocal mannerisms are spot on, and thanks to Inception and Premium Rush, Levitt's no stranger to an action sequence. Willis is Willis, ever wizened and determined. It's taken him longer than most of us will, but he's starting to look his age - or maybe that's for the film. Red 2 is coming up, and I know I'm interested. It's difficult to talk about the supporting cast without giving too much away, so let it suffice to say that they're all excellent. Emily Blunt is always a welcome presence, bringing intelligence and compassion to everything she does.
Looper has a lot in common with Brick - both being quality cinema with dark overtones, not afraid of taking chances while still calling on the past to tell a story. While Rian Johnson's second film, The Brothers Bloom, wasn't quite my cup of tea, I'm intrigued to see what he comes up with next. Layered and thoughtful, Looper is a great action flick. While it may not take the place of Inception as the movie to write about for film class, it certainly has the strength of theme and performance going for it. Not to mention Willis and Levitt.
Additional information and links:
Perhaps (and I hope) you have heard of it. In Looper, time travel is invented and immediately outlawed by 2074. The mob uses illegal time travel to send targets to a unique brand of hit man: the looper. Loopers collect bars of silver for their troubles, and spend their evenings in select clubs doing drugs in the form of eye drops, and in the company of hookers and other loopers. Thirty years later, a new boss known as the Rainmaker comes to power and begins 'closing all the loops' - sending hitmen back thirty years, to be eliminated by their younger self. This is accompanied by a hefty payout, of course, but what happens if you just can't do it? One of two fates, the first of which befalls Seth (a blonde Paul Dano, still most famous for Little Miss Sunshine, unless you saw the more recent Ruby Sparks). It is violent, frightening, and graphic, and involves a man known only as "the Doc." The second possibility is the story of Joe (Joseph Gordon Levitt and Bruce Willis). Old Joe isn't ready to give up his life after thirty years. He has something to fight for - his wife. Younger Joe, of course, has no connection to this romantic idea and is perfectly willing to kill his older self if only to return to his life at present. Joe sees Old Joe as a completely separate person, perhaps only because he has had to prepare himself for the likely possibility that he will have to complete his loop - but Old Joe is on a mission to find the Rainmaker. In 2044, the Rainmaker is just a child, but one that will grow up to wield a great deal of power and be the reason for Joe's current situation. If Old Joe (or younger Joe, really) can find and kill this Rainmaker, then presumably Old Joe could return to his home, and his wife.
It's been a few years since the initial collaboration between writer/director Rian Johnson and leading man Joseph Gordon Levitt. Their first project, Brick, set both men on the map as having real potential and creators of fresh, original work (not easy to do). It also made JGL a leading man for the first time, and gave him a chance to showcase his dramatic chops. But whereas Brick turned film noir on its side by applying it to high school students, Looper takes the route of a curiously authentic sci-fi film. Mixing the old with the new isn't simply thematic, it's essential to the reality of the film. Joe uses a vintage-style stopwatch, a blunderbuss for a weapon, and prefers swanky red convertibles to the new motorcycle-based hovercrafts. Then again, 2044 isn't so far into the future. The glimpses that we do see of the future, in Shanghai, are carefully designed to create a bridge between Joe and Old Joe.
Most of what you read or find about Looper will highlight the work that went into drawing likenesses between Willis and Levitt. It is strange, how even with prosthetic, Levitt can look like himself and yet like Willis. He's able to suggest the Willis stare and any number of other recognizable traits, and the prosthetic seals the deal - as long as you don't look at the eyebrows, especially not in the awful bright daylight shots. Those were awful. Levitt's great, but those eyebrows were outlined in fat crayon. Other than that, the voice, the vocal mannerisms are spot on, and thanks to Inception and Premium Rush, Levitt's no stranger to an action sequence. Willis is Willis, ever wizened and determined. It's taken him longer than most of us will, but he's starting to look his age - or maybe that's for the film. Red 2 is coming up, and I know I'm interested. It's difficult to talk about the supporting cast without giving too much away, so let it suffice to say that they're all excellent. Emily Blunt is always a welcome presence, bringing intelligence and compassion to everything she does.
Looper has a lot in common with Brick - both being quality cinema with dark overtones, not afraid of taking chances while still calling on the past to tell a story. While Rian Johnson's second film, The Brothers Bloom, wasn't quite my cup of tea, I'm intrigued to see what he comes up with next. Layered and thoughtful, Looper is a great action flick. While it may not take the place of Inception as the movie to write about for film class, it certainly has the strength of theme and performance going for it. Not to mention Willis and Levitt.
Additional information and links:
- Viewers who liked Looper may also like: Brick, Drive, and Hesher... maybe even Contraband. (Links go to commentaries.)
- Huffington Post article with details about the prosthetic required for JGL to look like Bruce Willis
- Current.com video interview with Rian Johnson and JGL about the film, and of course about JGL's process to emulate Bruce Willis
- Waitress Beatrix is played by actress Tracie Thoms, whom I love. She and Emily Blunt both had roles in The Devil Wears Prada.
