Looper

Theatrical Release Date: 2012 09 28 (USA)

UPC: 043396413481

Studio: Sony Pictures

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Graphic Violence, Nudity, Profanity, Sexual Situations, Drug Content]

Summary: A hired gun from the future discovers that his greatest adversary is himself in this twisting sci-fi mindbender starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom). In the year 2047 time travel has yet to be invented. Thirty years later, however, it has. Though immediately outlawed, time-travel technology is quickly appropriated by the mob, and used to cleanly dispose of anyone deemed a threat. The process is simple: When the mob wants someone to disappear, they simply send them back to the year 2047, where an assassin known as a "looper" quickly carries out the hit, and disposes of the body. Joe Simmons (Gordon-Levitt) is one of the most respected loopers around. Each kill earns him a big payday, and he's got big plans to retire to France. Then, one day, as Joe patiently awaits the appearance of his next target near the edge of a remote corn field, he's shocked to come face-to-face with his future self (Bruce Willis). When the younger Joe hesitates, the older Joe makes a daring escape. Now, in order to avoid the wrath of his underworld boss (Jeff Daniels), young Joe must "close the loop" and kill his older counterpart. Meanwhile, the revelation that a powerful crime boss in the future has set the underworld ablaze pits the two Joes on a violent collision course, with the fate of a devoted mother (Emily Blunt) and her young son hanging in the balance. Paul Dano and Piper Perabo co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Thriller

Awards: Film Presented – Toronto International Film Festival Best Original Screenplay – National Board of Review Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Original Screenplay – Washington D.C. Film Critics Association Best Original Screenplay – Writers Guild of America

Features: Feature Commentary With Director Rian Johnson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt And Emily Blunt
Looper: From The Beginning-Making-Of Featurette
5 Deleted Scenes With Commentary
Scoring Looper
Looper Animated Trailer
Blu-Ray Exclusives:
The Science Of Time Travel Featurette
17 Additional Deleted Scenes With Commentary

Looper

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 12/31/2012

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DHMA null

Runtime: 119 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: Blu-ray region A (North America, Central America, South America, Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia)

Jason Buchanan

Filmmakers are forever struggling to come up with a new take on time travel, and in his third film Looper, writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom) toys with some familiar elements in a way that makes them feel fresh, exciting, original, and unpredictable. Add to that the compelling twist of Joseph Gordon-Levitt wearing his best Bruce Willis smirk, and you've got all the ingredients for a highly watchable, smartly written sci-fi actioner that adds up to more than the sum of its derivative parts. In the year 2047, time travel has yet to be invented. Thirty years later, however, it has. Although immediately outlawed, time-travel technology is quickly appropriated by the mob, and used to cleanly dispose of anyone deemed a threat. The process is simple: When the mob wants someone to disappear, they simply send them back to the year 2047, where an assassin known as a "Looper" quickly carries out the hit, and then disposes of the body. Joe Simmons (Gordon-Levitt) is one of the most respected Loopers around. Each kill earns him a big payday, and he's got big plans to retire to France. Then, one day, as Joe patiently awaits the appearance of his next target near the edge of a remote corn field, he's shocked to come face-to-face with his future self (Bruce Willis). When the younger Joe hesitates, the older Joe makes a daring escape. Now, in order to avoid the wrath of his underworld boss (Jeff Daniels), young Joe must "close the loop" and kill his older counterpart. Meanwhile, the revelation that a powerful crime boss in the future has set the underworld ablaze pits the two Joes on a violent collision course, with the fate of a devoted mother (Emily Blunt) and her young son hanging in the balance. A great concept can carry a film a long way. Even setting aside its stellar cast, assured sense of style, and careful attention to detail, Looper is nothing if not a great concept. Like a pulpy Twilight Zone episode served in future noir trappings, Johnson's screenplay wastes no time immersing us in the particulars as Joe knowingly introduces us to the concept of a Looper and details that initially seem incidental gradually start assembling into a bigger, more vivid picture. Meanwhile, it's all presented against the backdrop of a future that feels particularly lived-in. From floating motorcycles that simply won't start to junk cars with solar panels hastily slapped on the hoods and doors, everything in Looper feels cutting-edge, yet somehow on the verge of collapse. It's an aesthetic that not only recalls Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys -- another inventive tale of time travel starring Willis -- but also offers a much welcomed change of scenery from the stereotypically slick, impossibly hi-tech gloss cast over most Hollywood sci-fi endeavors. But none of this would work very well if the cast didn't sell it wholeheartedly, and thankfully everyone in the lineup, from the top-billed to the supporting players, put in the performances needed to immerse us in Johnson's ambitious story. Much as he did in Brick, Johnson creates a carefully drawn world in Looper that exists by its own particular set of rules. As laid out by Gordon-Levitt's character, and later, Jeff Daniels (doing most of his acting from behind a desk, but delivering a fantastic speech that establishes the high stakes of life as a Looper), those rules coalesce into something genuinely compelling, and Johnson adheres to them in a manner that's unwaveringly faithful without being rigid or clinical. Likewise, after the rules are established and the tone is set, Johnson's screenplay confronts viewers with an expertly conceived character conflict that adds an entirely new, somewhat dangerous, dynamic to the story. It's a small yet logical touch that ups the stakes in ways we might not have foreseen, and while it's also the point where Looper may become a bit predictable for some, it's the kind of flourish that makes up in execution for what it lacks in originality, proving once again that Johnson is the kind of filmmaker capable of shaping the conceits of the past into a bold new vision. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Joseph Gordon-Levitt  Executive Producer 
Ram Bergman  Producer 
James D. Stern  Producer 
Julie Goldstein  Executive Producer 
Dan Mintz  Executive Producer 
Rian Johnson  Director 
Rian Johnson  Screenwriter 
Nathan Johnson  Composer (Music Score) 
Peter Schlessel  Executive Producer 
Douglas E. Hansen  Executive Producer 
Bruce Willis  Actor 
Joseph Gordon-Levitt  Actor 
Emily Blunt  Actor 
Paul Dano  Actor 
Noah Segan  Actor 
Piper Perabo  Actor 
Jeff Daniels  Actor 
Pierce Gagnon  Actor 
Summer Qing  Actor 
Tracie Thoms  Actor 
Frank Brennan  Actor 
Garret Dillahunt  Actor 
Nick Gomez  Actor 
Marcus Hester  Actor 
Jon Eyez  Actor 
Kevin Stillwell  Actor 
Thirl R. Haston  Actor 
James Hebert  Actor 
Kenneth Brown Jr.  Actor 
Cody Wood  Actor 
Adam Scott Boyer  Actor 
Jeff Chase  Actor 
Ritchie Montgomery  Actor 
David Jensen  Actor 
Kamden Beauchamp  Actor 
Josh "The Ponceman" Perry  Actor 
David Martinez  Actor 
Wayne de Hart  Actor 
Ian Patrick  Actor 
Craig Johnson  Actor 
Robert Harvey  Actor 

Country: USA