Joseph Gordon-Levitt comes face-to-face with his future self in the debut trailer for “Looper” (read Drew McWeeny’s review of the not-quite-finished film here), a new sci-fi/thriller written and directed by indie auteur Rian Johnson that marks the duo’s second collaboration together (after the 2005 neo-noir “Brick”).
The story centers on Joe (Gordon-Levitt), an assassin who works for a gang that uses time-travel to send captured targets 30 years into the past (a.k.a. Joe’s time period) for elimination. Unfortunately for the young criminal, his latest target is a man who looks just like him…only 30 years older. And also, he’s Bruce Willis.
Ok, so here’s what we’ve got: a cool premise, a great cast (Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Paul Dano and Piper Perabo are among the supporting players) and what I must say is a pretty bitchin’ new trailer stuffed to the brim with examples of Johnson’s topsy-turvy visual flair (not to mention more than a few explosions, car chases, gun fights and other such testosterone-laden imagery).
Personally, I didn’t care much for Johnson’s sophomore effort, the 2008 caper film “The Brothers Bloom” starring Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo, which looked pretty great but failed to live up to the promise of his low-budget debut. In light of that – and even though I think the trailer is impressive – I’m keeping my expectations for “Looper” in check. Let’s hope the even more-substantial budget Johnson had to work with here (a reported $60 million, as opposed to the $500,000 for “Brick” and the $20 million for “Bloom”) didn’t result, like his second film, in a disappointing display of style over substance.
My grade for the trailer: A-. After checking it out below, rate it for yourself at top left!
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“Looper” hits theaters on September 28th.