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Probable spoilers!!!

Time is a subject that is infinitely fascinating. Time impacts all of us no matter what. No matter where you are, who you are or what your beliefs are, time does not care. Time has no mercy and does not have empathy. Time's value cannot be measured. We all wish we had more of it. When I saw this latest CineTV Contest I was certainly intrigued and several movies popped into my brain. 'Inception' (even if not purely about time), 'Primer', 'Source Code' even 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' popped into my head for various reasons. The time movie genre is quite deep of course and the subject offers limitless potential.

But when I saw this prompt I knew one movie I wanted to revisit and that movie was 'Looper'. I saw this movie years ago and I immediately loved it. Obviously I was younger then and I was intrigued to re-watch it and see how I interpret it many years later.

Looper doesn't require very deep thinking in terms of like trying to understand timelines which is quite nice. But it isn't unsophisticated either, it just doesn't hurt your brain if that makes sense.

To be frank, re-visiting 'Looper' I was initially disappointed by it. I found the movie quite shallow and many of the characters motivations, claims, and perspectives seemed inconsistent and selfish and very much up for interpretation in general.

But that's when it clicked for me as I thought about it more. 'Looper' is as real as it gets. The bluntness, grittiness and honestly extreme realism is actually quite amazing. Many times time travel movies try to like have a massively deep meaning, and this one definitely does but it is executed in a very unique way.

The very title of 'Looper' is quite clever and the concept permeates throughout the film, very much like time itself is unavoidable in literally every phase of life. It explores domino effects as well I'm fairly sure.

Whether we like it or not, every decision we make impacts the world and society around us. We, myself included, believe we are all special and that our struggle is unique and important. There's probably a sliver of truth there but also, as much as we think we know and have seen it all we haven't. Odds are someone else in the world has had a very similar life path and life circumstances. In the grand scheme of things, we are all on a level playing field, the difference lies in the choices we make. Someone is always watching, and people are aware. Monkey see, monkey do is still very much prominent no matter what. It's quite hard to determine what's fair or right in the world. Humans are intelligent and no matter what your ideologies or beliefs, it's somewhat fair to say most people have a good point in terms of most world views.

I think 'Looper' simply makes the case that we should be careful no to become self-absorbed and just a warning against selfishness in general. At least even briefly consider the overall impact of the world around you whenever you make a decision.

Revisiting 'Looper' I was initially frustrated at how vague the plotlines were. It was hard to pinpoint who was good or bad or ugly. Joe's decision in the end even felt amazingly shortsighted and unclear to me. He made a decision mostly based on his old self who, let's be real, was not the most reliable source of all time. But after further consideration I see that it was fairly wise and it probably gave everyone the best likelihood at peace, even if it wasn't guaranteed to actually have a positive outcome.

Sometimes you must play the long game in life, play the odds and try to have compromise. Life is confusing, and nothing makes sense much of the time, but amongst the chaos try to be consistent, fair, and maybe even kind.

'Looper' is just so tough and gritty. Seriously as I write this I become significantly more impressed by it. It doesn't pretend to present the best answers, it doesn't present an ideal society, it doesn't try to be cute. It seems to just promote a sort of realistic sense of mercy. It doesn't even suggest an ideal way of life or an ideal anything. The lack of answers is refreshingly honest. It's reminiscent of a famous quote....

I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. - Socrates

Nobody really ever regretted being nice though. Some nasty people may try to use kindness against you but, I guess that comes down to compromise and balance and who you allow in your life. If someone screws you over, don't seek revenge, try to have understanding and a sense of dignity and learn, but don't get nasty and continue the LOOP.

Besides my rant that may or may not make a lick of sense, I also loved the overall stylization of this movie. The look of it was just top notch to me. The sceneries from city vibes to farm life, the picture quality and visual effects are also highly enjoyable. Even the chosen fashion was pretty dang sweet.

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The action scenes were incredible, the casting was outstanding!!! I'm a big fan of every actor and actress in this movie. Bravo! Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Bruce Willis, and Jeff Daniels!! This one is going to age like fine wine I believe.

All in all, this movie had balance. Simple but deep in terms of it can probably be interpreted in many ways. I suppose that's what art is about.

I'll go ahead and give 'Looper' a 9.1/10