Hatchet reporter Andrew Avrick shares his latest movie experience.

“Looper” (2012)

Contrary to what Sony Pictures’ massive marketing campaign wants you to think, “Looper” is not a simple action film where Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis take on bad guys and travel through time.

Okay, that still happens. But the film proves much more complex than its trailers let on.

As protagonist Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) reveals in the beginning of the film, time travel is invented in the future, but is used only by underground criminal organizations to eliminate targets in the past before they produce problems in the present.  This is where assassin Joe finds his niche: As a “looper,” Joe travels to the past to murder undisclosed victims before returning to the future unscathed.

After a looper’s tenure of time travel and assassination is up, the crime organization “closes the loop” and sends the looper back in time, granting him not only youth but a substantial financial payoff, too. This presents a problem for young Joe when he returns to the past to assassinate his final victim: his future self.

The fascinating conflict between the two versions of Joe drives the film’s plot. Young Joe wants to revel in his earnings, living out his last 30 years in parties, drug use and debauchery. Old Joe’s (Bruce Willis) motives prove more earnest. His future wife’s life at the hands of the mob is at stake.

The characters’ conflicting and convoluted interests often make it difficult to assign “good guy” or “bad guy” titles, and this ambiguity continues as the film reaches its climax.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s portrayal of a younger version of Bruce Willis deserves recognition and praise.  The prosthetics used to widen Gordon-Levitt’s face help to liken him to Willis. But his mannerisms and facial expressions indicate extensive review and study of Willis’ acting catalog. Gordon-Levitt effortlessly mimics Willis’ vacant stares and trademark lumbering, clever remarks.

Overall, “Looper” is an excellent and intense thriller, boasting a stellar cast and an interesting plot. It’s presentation of conflicting moralities and the technicalities of time travel may seem too confusing to understand, but this is part of the film’s genius: It’s just complex enough to keep you thinking.

Genre: Action
Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano
Release Date: Sept. 28