Review: Looper

I was thoroughly heartbroken when Looper was given an R rating, about a month before its release. Outside of Lincoln or Wreck-it Ralph, it was probably my most anticipated movie for the fall of 2012.  As most know, I don't usually see R rated movies without my trusty Clearplay to filter the language, sex, and violence out of it.  So, with nothing worth seeing this weekend, I finally went to Redbox and rented it.

There should be a disclaimer that the filtering of the movie left out many key scenes (i.e. I'm told that there was significant character development during a sex scene which was cut out entirely), so my review is probably incomplete.

THE GOOD
The cinematography (camera work, lighting, etc.) was pretty good.  Not Skyfall or The Dark Knight Rises good, but good.

It was a very well written story, very well written characters, and great dialogue.  It had a pretty good payoff, although I was left slightly uneasy and unsure, which I think was the intent.

This is Joseph Gordon-Leavitt's best acting I've ever seen him do.  He was essentially doing an impression of  a younger Bruce Willis while still providing a very deep performance.  Character acting WHILE giving depth is very difficult to do.  Even gifted actors like Leo Decaprio can't do it.

THE BAD
It is a very dark movie and didn't uplift me at all, at least not in the way it could have.  It was an interesting twist at the end, but the supposed theme didn't come through as strong as it could have.  I usually don't like movies that provide a bleak view of humanity, which is what this movie does.

CONCLUSION
Overall, I will recommend this to people.  However, be warned that watching it unfiltered is very unfriendly to the Mormon eye.  3.5/5 Stars.