Looper (2012/Sony Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B     Sound: C+     Extras: C+     Film: C+

 

 

Back in 2005, an on the rise Joseph Gordon-Levitt teamed up with unknown director Rian Johnson to make a uniquely impressive thriller called Brick (reviewed elsewhere on this site) that had great energy, was clever and should have been a bigger hit.  Seven years later, the two reunite for the time travel thriller Looper (2012) in which Gordon-Levitt plays one of the killers of the title in the near future, a killer in time who can travel back or fourth to settle scores for others when assigned at a price.

 

When a mysterious, deadly crime kingpin stars taking over the further future, he decides to close all the looper’s loops by killing them off en masse, but our protagonist might be able to stop this if his older self (Bruce Willis) can break the reign of terror across time.  In addition, there is now a hunt for the kingpin as a child and three targets have been found (in a sort of reverse of a plot point of the 1984 James Cameron Terminator) that has mixed results as written.

 

More of this film works than not, including a side bit about people discovering basic telekinesis (moving objects by thought) that becomes more relevant later, but the film has some dead spots, Gordon-Levitt’s make-up that tries to make him look like a Bruce Willis in the making comes across more like Robert De Niro as a mannequin and this ultimately does not add up to a great film, but it is at least interesting and the time travel plotting is at least consistent.

 

Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Piper Perabo and Jeff Daniels are among a solid supporting cast that helps, but Looper ultimately falls short despite its ambitions.  You should still see it as it is worth a look, but it does not add up to what it could have and is one of the year’s few interesting near-misses.

 

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is pretty good throughout despite the high number of digital visual effects throughout, but this is well filmed overall with decent color and some nice depth shots along with locations and its sets.  The makers used the wide frame effectively enough and was shot in real 35mm anamorphic Panavision by Director of Photography Steve Yedlin, who lensed Brick as well.

 

The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is enveloping and well mixed for the most part, but I found the gunshots and some other explosions a little harsher as compared to the rest of the mix throughout and that includes rough edges that did not work for me.  I do not take this as a disc issue but just the way the mix is.  I did not like that aspect of it and warn listeners (especially with home theaters) to not play it too loud at first so you can judge for yourself.

 

Extras include a feature length audio commentary track by Johnson, Gordon-Levitt & Blunt, 5 Deleted Scenes with optional commentary, Scoring Looper featurette, special animated Original Theatrical Trailer and Looper: From The Beginning Making Of featurette, plus Blu-ray Exclusive extras include 17 additional Deleted Scenes with optional commentary and featurette The Science Of Time Travel.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo