It is rare that you get to the end of a movie and feel very satisfied as the credits start to roll, and Looper provides that feeling. It is a smart and utterly absorbing film, which cleverly revisits classic genre tropes (seen in films such as The Terminator, Blade Runner and even Scanners all notably present) but then weaves them into a tale which is at the same time refreshingly told, creatively put on screen and shows such attention to small details that it is a delight to watch. The first half is the breathless sci-fi action-thriller set mostly in a recognisable near-future that truly delivers on all that the trailers promised, which then gives way to a surprisingly intimate and effective drama that pays off wonderfully on all the preceding setting up. To put it simply: Gordon-Levitt, Willis and Blunt are all terrific in the lead roles, director Rian Johnson is clearly one to watch, and Looper is easily one of the best films of 2012.
