Looper (2012)

When it's over, Looper doesn't completely loop me in. A Looper is a hired gunman who kills targets sent from the future (2074) by the mob into the present (2044). Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is such a killer and has made a profitable living killing these blindfolded time travelers. However, when he fails to pull the trigger on his future self (Bruce Willis), he becomes the hunted and must find the strength to pull the trigger on himself. Good make up. Good performances. Good story premise, because it had entertainment value, even though it was not plausible. However, a loose script and a less than satisfying ending made the film a somewhat disappointment. Spoiler alert. Joe's final decision at the end to "set things right" would be more believable if the script had allowed more build up to this decision. I am referring to emotional build up. There are a few scenes which show Joe's change in heart, but the scenes have no emotional value that hooked me in to make me care, and ultimately believe in his actions at the end. This is not to say Gordon-Levitt failed to convey emotion. In fact, he offered a solid performance. It was more that the script lacked emotional awareness. Also, I didn't think Joe needed to end things the way he did. He could have easily pulled the trigger on his older self to prevent the possible negative future. If you have not seen the film, this may sound ambiguous, but once you see the film, you will know what I am referring to. Also, I think the introduction of telekinetic powers was interesting and would have made for a good plot twist if the story had weaved the powers parallel to the time travel story, instead of creating its own path. For example, the script could have included people with such powers in 2074, especially show Cid (Pierce Gagnon) as an adult, who supposedly takes control over the mob causing the chain of events leading to Joe's older self returning to 2044. Finally, the gun play looked sloppy. One-on-one shoot outs were good, because it had that feeling of deliberateness. But, multiple shoot-outs were poorly choreographed, making the scenes look sloppy. Again, I think the story is clever and worth watching. I just wish the story was fused together better.

My rating: 3 out of 5