Looper (1/1/13)

Rated R for strong violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug content.

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt and Jeff Daniels

Directed by Rian Johnson (The Brothers Bloom)

If time travel existed I might just go back and watch this one again.

In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented – but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun, like Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good… until the day the mob decides to “close the loop,” sending back Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination.

I was excited to see Looper for one reason…Bruce Willis. He’s been one of my favorite actors for a long time and he certainly didn’t disappoint in this one. Not only is he great, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt is just as good. Plus he underwent several hours in the makeup chair to resemble Willis—in particular, his distinctive nose.

Director Rian Johnson delivers a mind-bending ride that is not afraid to slow down from time to time. Which gives us time to think about themes like love, regret, redemption and sacrifice.

Like all time travel movies there are questions and/or problems. They addressed some of those with a couple quick “loops” letting us know that one or two options didn’t work. But like time travel movies, if you are going to enjoy them, you need to just accept certain “facts.”

Bruce Willis tells Joseph Gordon-Levitt in one scene, “I don’t want to talk about time-travel ‘stuff’ because if we start, we’re going to be here all day, making diagrams with straws.”

That’s pretty good advice. I thought it was “Theater Worthy.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
This film is not for kids. As for you… you’ll have to use your own discretion.

The film is laden with cuss words. There are a few quick sex/nudity scenes like topless dancers, a brief sex scene, and a few conversations about sex. This film also offers no short supply of violence and gore including assassin-like shootings, shoot outs, fights, etc.

This film was really well done, hence the ‘Theatre Worthy’ score, however, when it came to sex and violence, the film displayed typical secular morality, not holding back in either. The thing I enjoyed about the film is that the story did show the natural consequences of behaviors, and portrayed redeemable characters learning lessons from their bad decisions. At the same time, the film didn’t seem to mind showing brief nudity or people “hooking up” for sex.

For more about deciding whether films are appropriate or not, Jonathan just blogged about this film on 10/10/12, discussing media discernment in great detail.

Conversation Starter

1. If you could time travel, where (when) would you go?


2. If you could go back and change one thing about your life, what would it be?


3. Do you have “mistakes” you would like to “fix”?


4. Read Philippians 3:12-14
   
   Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
   
   When Paul says, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize…” what do you think he means?


5. Why is it important to forget what is in the past?


6. What is “the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”?


7. What can you do this week to forget the past and press on?