Looper - DVD

Film: Rian Johnson has only two feature films in his repertoire. But his debut feature Brick in particular was so surprising, intelligent and unconventional that it was clear then that great things were yet to be expected from this director. And Johnson now more than lives up to those expectations with his cleverly constructed, thrillingly directed and visually superbly realized science fiction action drama Looper.

The film is set in a not-too-distant future in which a black market for time travel exists. These are used by ruthless crime syndicates to make bodies disappear without a trace. The victims are unceremoniously sent back 30 years into the past by so-called loops, where hitmen are waiting for them, who then take care of the execution and disposal of the corpses. They perform this job as loopers until their loop is closed and their future selves are sent ahead of them. Then they know they have thirty years left to enjoy with a tidy severance package. Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is among the best of these hit men, known for getting the job done quickly, consciencelessly and with absolute precision. As more and more loops are closed in the future, Joe's days as a hunter are also numbered. But when his 30-year-old self (Bruce Willis) appears before him, Joe hesitates for the first time before pulling the trigger on his gun - a mistake that will have far-reaching consequences for more than just his life...

Removed from the pressures of major studios, Rian Johnson has directed Looper, first-rate science fiction cinema for the mind and the eye. The script quickly proves to be a carefully crafted thriller, where every detail seems to have a very specific job to do, resulting in a coherent and inherently logical overall picture at the end. In return, Johnson demands full attention from the viewer, which this film deserves. Only those who follow the events closely and do not completely switch off their mind will be able to enjoy the genius of this film to the fullest.

Of course, there are many passionate genre fans who do not want just that. They want to completely switch off and just let the images and action take over. That's fine in itself, but such viewers run the risk of missing important details and connections in Looper, which could make the film seem overloaded and contrived in some crucial moments. Also, there's a pretty clear break in style in the second half, where the action pauses completely and only serves the character development. Again, this has unfortunately become a real rarity for contemporary mainstream cinema, which is why some viewers might criticise this.

But it is to be hoped that these critics will remain in the minority, and that as many lovers of that particular sci-fi film as possible will recognise and appreciate the effort and heart and soul that Johnson has put into this film. Because everything is just right here: in addition to the great script, the fascinating design that skillfully mixes contemporary with futuristic, and the sometimes very drastically staged action, the actors also deliver great performances. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in particular, perfectly manages to make a character that is actually abysmally dark and bad accessible in a way that allows the audience to sympathize with his fate and wish him a better future. As a result, the film is able to make significant gains in terms of tension, dramaturgy, and effectiveness of the finale.

But the rest of the cast, whether it's Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, a wonderful Jeff Daniels, or Noah Segan, who has appeared in Johnson's previous two films, also fit perfectly into the proceedings. Of course, even Rian Johnson, despite all the care he takes, pushes the limits of logic here and there, which the theme of time travel actually inevitably brings with it. But Johnson has found the only correct way to deal with this problem by getting it out of the way with a single sentence that Bruce Willis gets to throw at his younger self in a conversation. This is as amusing as it is ingenious, as any accusation of a lack of logic is thus debunked.

Those who associate great entertainment cinema only with 3D glasses and senseless action (which, of course, can be a lot of fun) will find it hard to be captivated by the world drawn in Looper. But if you like things not quite so slick at times, if you want to be pampered not only by the eyes but also by the intellect, and if you still enjoy genuine originality, then you definitely shouldn't miss one of the best films of 2012 on DVD and Blu-Ray. Absolutely worth seeing!!!!

Picture + Sound: Since only a data-reduced press sample was available for review, no rating on the final picture quality can be given at this point. The sound has some very good surround effects and rich bass to offer and presents well understandable mixed dialogue and an overall very coherent soundscape. The DTS track is a bit more powerful in this regard and proves to be the better of the two German audio tracks, especially in the more action-packed moments. Good!

Extras: In contrast to the Blu-Ray, the DVD has less bonus material to offer. But the available additional material can be quite seen and heard. It starts with a very insightful audio commentary by director Rian Johnson and his two main actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt. The commentary, which is unfortunately not subtitled, can serve to resolve some possibly unanswered questions and can be thoroughly recommended especially to those viewers who liked the film very much.

The video extras consist of two unfortunately far too short making of featurettes (approx. 15 mins) and three other short documentaries about the film's score (approx. 16 mins). This is quite interesting overall, but too short to really offer any in-depth information. Seven worthwhile dropped scenes with optional commentary from the director (approx. 18 min.) and the trailer round out the decent bonus offerings. The Blu-ray has more cut scenes and featurettes to offer.

Conclusion: Looper is an excellent sci-fi thriller that not only has very high viewing and entertainment value, but also comes across as pleasingly intelligent. The fact that the viewer is required from the beginning to follow the action attentively and draw his own conclusions, should actually deter only those viewers who want to be easily sprinkled by exciting sci-fi action and shut down the brain completely. For all others, however, applies: one of the very big highlights of the cinema year 2012 and therefore also for home cinema an absolute must!!!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp