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Looper (2012)

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In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits - someone like Joe - who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by sending back Joe's future self for assassination.

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16 wins & 45 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Joe
... Old Joe
... Sara
... Seth
... Kid Blue
... Suzie
... Abe
... Cid
... Old Joe's Wife (as Summer Qing)
... Beatrix
... Old Seth
... Jesse
... Dale
... Zach
... Gat Man
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Storyline

Joe is classified as a "looper", a job in which his employers use time travel to send men from the future to be killed into the past, where Joe can properly dispose of their bodies. However, to tie up loose ends and erase the evidence of his ever being a looper, Joe knows that one day his future self will be sent back for him to kill. When this day comes, Joe's future self is prepared and escapes, and the two men struggle separately in the past trying to evade capture and attempting to fulfill their own personal agendas. Written by Ellen

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Hunted by your future. Haunted by your past. See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug content | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

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Language:

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Release Date:

28 September 2012 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Looper  »

Filming Locations:

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Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,801,552, 30 September 2012, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$66,486,205

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$176,506,819
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The incredibly large "GAT" pistols are actual production firearms, and not just a prop created for the film. It is a Magnum Research BFR (Big Frame Revolver) chambered in .45-.70 caliber Government, a rifle round originally adopted by the U.S. military in 1873. The BFR weighs roughly 4.5 pounds. See more »

Goofs

When old Joe is leaving the golf-cart in which he blew out the windshield to kill the driver, the windshield is still in one piece, as seen in the reflections. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Joe: Time travel has not yet been invented. But thirty years from now, it will have been. It will be instantly outlawed, used only in secret by the largest criminal organizations. It's nearly impossible to dispose of a body in the future... I'm told. Tagging techniques, whatnot. So when these criminal organizations in the future need someone gone, they use specialized assassins in our present called "loopers." And so, my employers in the future nab the target, they zap him back to me, ...
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Connections

Referenced in Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015) See more »

Soundtracks

Help Pick Up the Pieces
Written by Shelley Dane
Performed by Buddy Stewart (as Buddy Stuart)
Courtesy of Lee Silver Productions
By arrangement with Songs for Film & TV
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Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
Refreshingly original
27 September 2012 | by See all my reviews

Sitting here the day after viewing Rian Johnson's Looper, parts of it are still falling in to place. Standing out amongst this years crop of mostly underwhelming sequels and comic book adaptations, Looper thunders onto the screen, showing, much like Inception did two years ago, that there is a place in 2012 for fresh material and just how good it can be when it's done right.

The film tells the story of Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a hit-man for an organised crime syndicate tasked with assassinating targets sent from the future. After being confronted with his future self (Bruce Willis) and failing to perform, Young Joe is forced to track down Old Joe and finish the job before being tracked down himself by the nefarious mob led by Abe (Jeff Daniels). However there is much more to the story than the basic premise, and Johnson isn't afraid to keep details close to his chest until later in the film than most movies of this type, so I won't spoil them here.

While certainly paying subtle homage to its predecessors, Looper is a stunningly original sci-fi masterpiece, vastly superior to any of the higher profile action releases this year. While certainly made on a much larger playing field than Johnson's previous work (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), there is still a small-scale, independent feel to the film, and it benefits from clearly staying completely under the control of the young director. Delivering excitement sprinkled with thoughtful themes of personal sacrifice, he offers us much to chew on.

Johnson understands that a successful action film doesn't need an explosion every ten minutes, and allows ample time for developing character and story, something which will likely divide audiences. Looper is very deliberately constructed, and after the highly charged opening establishing the intricate time-travel premise and direction of the plot, Johnson scales back the action almost too much as he ambitiously juggles the many and varied story elements he has created. Thankfully, any weakness in the middle of the film is largely overshadowed as Johnson launches the third act with such ferocity that the stark change of pace leaves you breathless.

Despite the problems in the middle of the film, Looper overcomes its flaws purely by being that rare beast in Hollywood nowadays, the totally original script. Not an adaptation, not a sequel or remake, but a fresh idea from the mind of an immensely talented young film-maker. In a perfect world, Looper would be the game changer it deserves to be, slapping Hollywood studios across the face and announcing that not everything has to be a PG-13 franchise based on a comic book. It's unlikely that this will the case, and it remains to be seen whether or not the film will even be a success, but it's encouraging to see that there are young auteurs at work who are fighting to craft new and exciting stories, even if we only get to see the results every year or two.

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