Writer: Siti Munawirah Mustaffa

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Watch this if you liked: “Inception” and “Brick”

In case you're bored by all current mundane sci-fi and thrillers, rest assured that "Looper" would offer you a different flavour, which leaves you wanting to go for seconds. Science fiction can never get more chic as "Looper" which exudes a stylish vintage film noir, what more with its snappy dark humour and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's 20th century bad boy persona reminiscent of James Dean.

However exhausting the concepts of time travel and telekinesis may be, Rian Johnson manages to pull them off nicely as he shares some very refreshing ideas with viewers. When time travel becomes very much possible in the future, what could be a better way for criminals from year 2074 to dispose of their enemies without leaving a single trace than to send them back to 30 years before, in 2044 to be killed by a group of contract killers known as the 'Loopers'? As a way of saving their asses (since time travel will be illegalized in 2074), the loopers are tasked to kill their older selves from 30 years in the future as a way of 'closing the loop'. Things go awry when Seth (Paul Deno) lets his target run free and when 25-year-old looper Joe (Gordon-Levitt) fails in his attempt to get rid of his older version (Bruce Willis).

Despite being only Johnson's third feature work, "Looper" is set to offer a bigger, greater picture to the audience with every scene from the past and future being cleverly arranged, accompanied by very intricate details that are both thought provoking and mesmerizing. If you're familiar with "Brick", then you would definitely like the same shrewdness found in "Looper". Unlike most films set in a futuristic background, this film provides a more plausible 2042 and beyond, not exaggerating so much on fashion sense or robots but more towards social division and advanced transportations.

Strong plot aside, "Looper" is about to become another Joseph Gordon-Levitt's classic as it once again proves the gifted actor's versatility in holding many different roles. Pushing his hopeless romantic side far behind, Gordon-Levitt successfully transforms into a selfish, blunderbuss carrying junkie. It might seem odd for him to play the younger version of Bruce Willis but thanks to great makeup skills, helped by Gordon-Levitt's ability to adopt Willis' mannerisms effortlessly, one might be convinced that they're both actually related. Other strong casts include Emily Blunt who pulls of a Kansas farm girl quite impressively, Jeff Daniels as the cold-hearted criminal leader named Abe and Pierce Gagnon as Cid, who turns out to be a surprising little package with a special ability.

Sure, "This time travel crap just fries your brain like an egg," as mentioned by Abe in an earlier scene. But putting your disbeliefs aside, "Looper" is a good entertainment for the mind that sparks a long conversation and a good argument.

Cinema Online, 30 September 2012