This is a nice idea but has a few gigantic plot holes. Many of the Loopers are having their loops 'closed', but this is revealed only to be happening as a result of actions carried out by Old Joe in the past. None of which would have happened if the Loopers weren't having their loops closed. Also the criminals of the future are shown to shoot Old Joe's wife. If it's so hard to kill people in the future, isn't it a bit odd that the baddies of the future are so indifferent about killing her? Wouldn't they need to send her back in time too? Also there are a few character oddities regarding young Joe and his present day girlfriend (though she might not be his girlfriend - it might be that she's meant to be some stripper he's screwing around with). Whatever their true relationship, he doesn't appear to know where she lives or her son's birthday, or give a crap about sleeping with another woman (Sara - played by Emily Blunt) at the slightest invitation. Which kind of makes him a massive dick - which is interesting as the film spends a lot of time working hard to make him into a likeable protagonist. But then if he is an idiot his character arc doesn't really make any sense if you think about it too hard.
Which clearly I have done. But as Old Joe helpfully tells the audience at one point: "It doesn't matter!".
JGL is very good in the film, and in particular he's very good at taking on Bruce Willis' physical traits and facial ticks. Willis himself doesn't get the chance to do a lot. Mostly he spends time shouting, looking menacing and telling the audience to stop worrying about time travel and just enjoy the film. JGL needs to play the lead role in a major movie that has Academy award potential at some point soon; either that or the Academy need to stop being snobbish and start nominating Christopher Nolan films for Oscars.
Looper is half-decent science fiction. It's an episode of the Outer Limits with better actors and better special effects but the same old Chekov's Gun style plot signposts (telekinetic powers anyone?). If you're looking for a subtext (and I am) to the film then it's probably that men destroy while women create. All the Loopers in the film are men, everyone they kill is a man, all the male characters in the film are out to break something or fuck something up. The major female characters in the film are all there to reign in the destructive instincts of the men. Be it as the mother figure to an adopted child, or as Old Joe's wife convincing him to give up a life of crime - they're nurturing figures in opposition to the destruction wrought by the men in their lives. Or maybe there isn't any subtext and it's just lazy writing, cos you know women are always talking about their feelings and cry all the time and stuff so they probably just don't want to be Loopers. Probably it's that.
There's your subtext from my viewpoint, why not watch it and see if anything jumps out at you?
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