Rian Johnson is a talent to watch.
I’d never heard of him. I’ve since looked him up and Looper is only his 3rd film and his 1st of any kind of size. Didn’t stop the writer/director from relentlessly blowing my mind.
Quick plot rundown: Around the 2040’s, after apparently continuing to become socialist, America has finally reached socialist equilibrium (wherein only criminals have any money). Technology is increasing at breakneck speed, 10% of the population has brain mutations and apparently in the 2070’s somebody invents time travel. We know this because people start coming back. Apparently time travel tech was made horrifically illegal almost immediately; but in certain cases the risk was worth it. You see, human tracking technology has become so onerous in the future that it’s almost impossible to commit murder. There’s no way to dispose of the body without being found out. So organized crime starts sending people back in time to get killed. Then there’s no body and no way to prove anyone died.
The way they work this system is rather clever. A mob representative (for the location’s particular mob, I assume there are competing interests but folks from the future are rather closed mouthed about specifics. They just like to drop tantalizing hints) was sent back in time to secure a beach head to operate (Jeff Daniels). He recruits talent (doesn’t take much) to go stand in appointed secluded spots at appointed times to immediately murder hooded men who appear at these times and places via travel from the future. It’s an easy gig. Tied up person wearing a hood materializes, dude (they are the titular loopers; I’ll explain later) lights him up with a shotgun, disposes of the body and keeps the money sent back with him. These loopers will one day be called upon to kill their future selves, as part of their contract. This is called closing the loop. One day the dude they shoot will have a BUNCH more money than usual strapped to him and it’s actually the dude from 30some years in the future. So the looper kills himself and lives large on powerball for the next 3 decades until the mob shows up to send him back and close the loop.
One day, Joe (a looper, young version played by Joseph Gordon Livett) is faced with killing himself. Except there’s some kind of mafia shakeup in the future and his old self (Bruce Willis) is ready for him and escapes. Joe will be murdered if he can’t close his loop so he chases after Old Joe. For reasons best discovered by watching the film; Old Joe has come back in time to murder 3 children. Why? That’s what the movie is about. Fucking go see it.
First, this film is visually masterful. Rian does something with close facial expressions I haven’t seen before. He conveys very complex emotions without any dialogue. And he delivers probably the best montage any movie has ever had. It summarizes Old Joe’s life up to the travel back in time, and is just fantastic. I don’t even remember if it had any music; it was a journey of images and facial expressions. Second, the sci-fi is solid and brutal. There’re no paradoxes in this movie. If something changes in the past the effects are immediate and usually brutal/horrifying. Third, all the actors (shout outs to Emily Blunt and the kid who plays her son) are on their game. You don’t watch this film so much as get swept up in it. And finally, it has a horrible beauty about it.
I don’t know who Rian Johnson is or were he came from; but I will take a look at anything else he does for the rest of his career. This may unseat Argo; seriously considering it.