#looper seth

Paul Dano in Looper (2012)

Looper is an introspective action-science fiction film, starring Paul Dano as a time-travelling crime syndicate assassin named Seth. Against the backdrop of the future Kansas City, where a space age aesthetic meets covert poverty, Looper tells the story of a twisting confrontation between a past and future self, and does so with style.

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as time-travelling assassin Joe (the titular 'looper') and Bruce Willis as his future self, the film explores popular what-ifs associated with time travel - predestination, autonomy, and of course, saving lives by stopping a particular event. In Looper's case, the main plotline unfolds when Joe's future self embarks on a mission to murder three young boys, one of which will grow up to become a powerful crime figure known as the Rainmaker.

The Good

My favourite part of this film is the set design: credited to Katherine Verreaux, the blend of futurism and gritty rundown architecture emphasises the criminal world Joe operates in. Little details like the door to Joe's flat and the mirrored corridor in Suzie's (Piper Perabo) bedroom make dreamlike glamour sit alongside bleak futurism. Steven Yedlin's expressive cinematography makes it all the more fun - the first half of Looper is so visually pleasing that everything else practically takes a backseat.

Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt steal the show as the main talent, both delivering powerful, convincing performances. Jeff Daniels as the crime syndicate leader Abe is a source of sharp dialogue and dynamism. Not to mention Noah Segan as the naïve Kid Blue happens to be my unlikely favourite performance, bringing a new flare to the usual criminal character archetypes.

Dano's appearance is absolutely welcome and all too short. His character is mutilated and killed about twenty minutes in; the sequence with his future self gradually losing body parts until he's crawling desperately towards the address of his present self, consequently shot callously by the organisation he once worked for was insane, and highlights everything that works for Looper.

Its strengths lie in the way it carefully examines popular time travel concepts without feeling tired and overdone. Meshing the criminal underworld with a science fiction trope has yet to be done so flawlessly and innovatively. Worldbuilding is not at the film's centre, but the universe of Looper feels calculated and deliberate. I can only wish the initial feeling of awe didn't disappear halfway through, however.

The Bad

With around forty minutes left, Looper descends into comic book territory. The telekinesis plotline around the unsuspecting young child Cid (Pierce Gagnon) felt out of place, especially when the dangers and power of time travel have been prominent themes throughout the film. The addition of telekinesis initially felt irrelevant at best and nonsensical at worst, but by the end of the film, I started to wish it stayed an undeveloped dud of a plotline, instead of mutating into something cliché and unwelcome. The attraction of the Looper universe (if you will) lies in that aforementioned contrast between realism and futurism, and telekinesis upsets the balance completely.

I can't finish this review without talking about Gordon-Levitt's jarring prosthetics that show up halfway through the film. They're an impressive attempt at making him look more like Willis, his future self, but I honestly didn't recognise Gordon-Levitt at first and thought his character was someone else completely. But there you go.

The Rating

Despite starting off strong, Looper falls victim to cliched writing and convoluted storylines. But I will defend this film all I can, if only for the beauty of the first half, the way it blends glamour and dirt so effortlessly. It's a welcome addition to the pantheon of time travel films, and thankfully stands out for all the right reasons.

don’t sing if you want to live long

they have no use for your song

Paul Dano in Looper (2012)

deep memories , my mom

in a dark room taking care of me

Paul Dano in Looper (2012)