Which course in the Himalayas was it again?: "Looper"

A looper ... you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock.

Fine, fine ... but don't tell me nobody else saw the title of this movie and didn't think of our man Carl at Bushwood. Moving on ...

Can't remember if I waxed about this already, but I'm something of a sucker for time travel movies. Sure, Jeff, you say ... we all gave "TimeCop" a pass. Would that it be that innocent. No, I thought "Time Bandits" was the best movie I had ever seen when I was 9. Worse, within the past year I rented "Timerider." Again. It might have been only 99 cents, but does that make it right?

Fortunately, I've also seen some good tales of twisting hours, days and years, from "Back to the Future" to "Primer." "Looper" is another worthy entry.

Our story has one of my current broners Joseph Gordon-Levitt toiling in the mid-21st century as a "looper," a guy who kills people sent back in time by the mob. The way the world stands, it's easier to illegally send someone back 30 years and have the hit happen there. Our hero doesn't exactly love the job, but he's making do. That is, until he's at the designated spot and comes face to face with ... his own face, 30 years older (Bruce "The Story of Us" Willis). Yep, they sent him back to be killed by him.

This isn't unusual, but letting yourself get away is, and we see how that's dealt with in an earlier case. JG-L has a harder time and ultimately finds his way to a farm occupied by a woman (Emily "Remember When I Showed My Goods in 'My Summer of Love?'" Blunt) and her young son. Meanwhile, Bruce is looking for something that supposedly will set the crappy future right. Dancing around the periphery are supporting players Paul Dano as another looper, Jeff Daniels as their boss, Noah Segan as a young punk with a big pistol and the incomparable Garret Dillahunt as a tracker.

Rian Johnson is the writer and director, and other than a couple of episodes of "Breaking Bad," I hadn't seen anything else by him. That likely will change, as he does a nice job of not only handling the time travel aspect but also giving solid depth to our three main characters. In this somewhat effed-up world, each of these people has valid reasons for their actions, and it's easy to sympathize with all. Willis has the world-weary thing down, while Gordon-Levitt works to stay ignorant and uncaring of the life this old guy already has lived. Blunt gives us a woman stoically managing her own trials, the consequences of which eventually become clear.

In all, a good premise executed well, with my attention held all the way to the appropriate and very satisfying end. I don't want to ruin it, of course, but don't be surprised when you see George Carlin show up with a phone booth.