Breathing new life into the time travel movie, Looper blends visual spectacle with an intelligent, twist filled screenplay that is sure to cement writer/director Rian Johnson reputation as one of America’s most exciting filmmakers.

The timing of Johnson’s big breakout could not be better. Hollywood is in desperate need of a filmmaker (not named Christopher Nolan) who can deliver popcorn movie making of the exceptional kind and Johnson is just that filmmaker, with Looper proving that the Californian director is just as capable at creating a wholly satisfying $60 million genre piece as he is a $500,000 indie, as was his debut film the modern noir Brick.   

Looper reunites Johnson with his Brick leading man Joseph Gordon-Levitt, one of the very best actors of his generation. Gordon-Levitt stars as Joe, a hit-man in 2042 who terminates unsuspecting targets sent back in time from the year 2072 by the mafia. When his next victim is Joe’s future self (played by Bruce Willis) hesitation sees his mark slip away, infuriating his employers and forcing Joe to track down his older self to unsuspecting consequences.

A big obstacle that Looper needed to clear in order to be a success was in Gordon-Levitt’s portrayal of a young Bruce Willis. Although a Hollywood superstar Willis is not an easy actor to impersonate thanks to a lack of colourful or unique personality traits to hang on to, especially when compared to say Robert De Niro’s impression of a young Marlon Brando in The Godfather Part II (the benchmark for all things of this nature).

Yet despite this Gordon-Levitt provides a wholly convincing performance, one that never strives to be an impression yet entertainingly threads parts of Willis’ sly guy personality through his own depiction of a quiet yet cocky young assassin whose conscious gets the better of him, a dangerous place to be when murder for hire is your stock in trade.   

Good too are Willis himself who has a knack with aligning himself with hip, up and coming filmmakers (Quentin Tarantino, M. Night Shyamalan) and Emily Blunt who convincingly pulls off an American accent in a much different, grittier role than the usual.    

Most impressive in Looper is its intelligent sci-fi and ethical drama, with the time travel angle a bridge between both. Johnson stimulates the mind and the senses with thought provoking questions about fate and second chances, sitting comfortably alongside a visual approach that is impeccably constructed in its subtle computer effects and Bob Ducsay’s superb editing.

Rare is the genre film that is as absorbing, entertaining and surprising as Looper. Here’s hoping Johnson will provide many more of its kind in the year ahead.