Wow, I didn’t see that coming and what a treat.  As a semi jade movie-goer, I can usually guess what direction a plot is headed.  In Looper, I never knew what to expect next.  The year is 2044 and Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works as an assassin for the mob. When gangsters want to eliminate someone, the victim is transported back 30 years and a killer is waiting there to take care of business. Time travel has been outlawed and for reasons that I never really understood, it was easier to send targets back in time to meet his or her demise. Old Joe (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to be killed by his younger self for reasons that I won’t explain.  When Old Joe arrives on the scene the movie picks up and a thrilling ride begins.  Emily Blunt shows up about half way through the film as Sara as the movie takes an interesting yet exciting turn.  The wonderful Paul Dano and Tracie Thoms have small roles in the movie and I wish that both could have been utilized in a larger fashion.  The youngest actor stole the movie any, the adorable Pierce Gagnon will capture your heart as Cid.

I have to admit that in the beginning, I found the prosthetic chin used on JGL to be quite distracting.  Even though the acting was top notch, I felt pulled out of the movie if I focused too much on JGL.  I think the movie would have been better off served if the creators had trusted the audience to just accept that Gordon-Levitt and Willis were the same characters at different stages in their lives without the elaborate makeup.

With its tiny flaws, this is still a must see movie.