Rian Johnson's 2012 sci-fi thriller Looper is now streaming on Netflix. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily Blunt in a story about assassins sent from a dystopian future to kill targets in the past. Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a looper who eliminates enemies before they can be disposed of in their own time. When Willis's older Joe is sent back for elimination, the two engage in a cat-and-mouse chase while trying to rewrite fate, developing a bond with Emily Blunt's Sara, a strong-willed mother living on a farmhouse.
This marks the second collaboration between Johnson and Gordon-Levitt, who previously worked together on Brick. The film's premise centers on a looping system where assassins know they will eventually be eliminated themselves to remove evidence of orchestrated hits. The supporting cast includes Paul Dano and Jeff Daniels.
Johnson directed the film as his third feature following Brick and The Brothers Bloom. Before his success with the Knives Out franchise and his Peacock series Poker Face, Johnson established himself as a director of mid-budget genre thrillers. The film's visual design contrasts a grimy dystopian future with rural present-day landscapes.