FILM · 2012 · USA
Looper
- Directed by
- Rian Johnson
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Studio
- Endgame Entertainment, DMG Entertainment, Ram Bergman Productions
62 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
In the year 2044, time travel has not yet been invented but in 30 years it will have been. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target into the past where a looper, a hired gun, like Joe is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to close the loop, sending back Joe's future self for assassination.
62 Interesting Facts About Looper
Interesting Facts (29)
- #001
Contains a major spoiler — show
Joseph Gordon-Levitt wore prosthetics and studied Bruce Willis's films to play young Joe. He was so convincing that Willis noticed his own mannerisms in their shared scenes.
- #002
Joe's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) fall down the fire escape was filmed on the actor's 30th birthday. While the crew sang "Happy Birthday" and handed out birthday cake, Gordon-Levitt hung suspended on the stunt wires.
- #003
The script originally had Joe move to Paris when he grew up, so his early scenes were spent trying to learn French. Rian Johnson soon realized, however, that they did not have the money to shoot in Paris. He considered using New Orleans as a stand-in for Paris but rejected the idea. The film's Chinese distributor offered to pay for the crew to shoot in Shanghai, and Johnson accepted, both because it solved the Paris problem and because he felt Shanghai better reflected the film's future setting.
- #004
According to director Rian Johnson, Noah Segan (Kid Blue) took several lessons to learn how to spin his gun on his finger. Johnson told Entertainment Weekly that he filmed many takes of Segan spinning the four-pound gun, but that he used the one where Segan nearly dropped it because Johnson thought it was funny.
- #005
Emily Blunt stated that she agreed to appear in the film after reading half the script. She did not even know what her character was.
- #006
The script for this film appeared on the 2010 Black List, the list of the year's "most liked" unproduced screenplays.
- #007
The film is set in the years 2044 and 2074.
- #008
Rian Johnson had been gathering ideas for this film since 2002.
- #009
Joe is seen studying French but does not get very far. Ironically, Joseph Gordon-Levitt speaks fluent French.
- #010
Joe's pocket watch has an unusual face. It is an example of a Long Case Turkish market watch featuring Ottoman horological numerals derived from Persian numerals (the Persian version).
- #011
The incredibly large "GAT" handguns are not an accessory created only for the film but real production firearms. This is a Magnum Research BFR (Big Frame Revolver) chambered in.45-.70 Government, a rifle cartridge first adopted by the US army in 1873. The BFR weighs about 4.5 pounds.
- #012
The red car Joe drives is a Mark 1 Mazda MX5 (also known as the Miata). This model was produced between 1990 and 1998. This fits Joe's taste in late-20th-century clothing.
- #013
The money Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) receives in exchange for two silver bars bears the image of China's Mao Zedong.
- #014
Contains a major spoiler — show
This is the third time Bruce Willis's character travels through time and encounters his younger self. The first two were 12 Monkeys (1995) and The Kid (2000).
- #015
Nathan Johnson based the film's music largely on sounds he recorded himself, such as a car being struck and a treadmill in a hotel room. He later combined his "virtual instruments" with a real orchestra, and some of these can be heard in the finished film.
- #016
At one point Bruce Willis fires two modern-looking Personal Defense Weapons. These are examples of the FN P90, designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. Although they look somewhat futuristic, these weapons, first produced in 1990, would be considered nearly antique by the period in which the film is set.
- #017
Rian Johnson wanted the 1984 Tri-Star logo to open the film but was unable to obtain it for unknown reasons. Although the 1993 Tri-Star logo precedes US copies of the film, the printed version is not shown (partly because this was done by Endgame and FilmDistrict). The film's title is the last thing seen in the end title sequence.
- #018
Contains a major spoiler — show
Sara uses a futuristic crop-duster that mainly makes rain, as a signifier of her son Cid's name, "The Rainmaker."
- #019
Contains a major spoiler — show
Although he is not seen in the film, Cid would have been 35 years old in 2074, when he becomes the "Rainmaker."
- #020
Joe is right-handed, while Old Joe is left-handed. Beyond that, all of Old Joe's mannerisms — his crooked smile, the way he tilts his head, and so on — are mirrored.
- #021
The turntable seen in several photographs is a Gyro SE made by the British company Michell Engineering. It has remained in continuous production since 1983.
- #022
The first Rainmaker prospect lives at 417 W. Chariton St., named after Rian Johnson's friends Dan Chariton and Stacy Chariton.
- #023
This is the second film in which Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character struggles to learn French. The other was 10 Things I Hate About You (1999).
- #024
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis appeared together again two years later in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), though they shared no scenes.
- #025
The Michell Gyro SE turntable was offered for sale at $3,600 in 2020 in various listings.
- #026
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, who play Joe and Old Joe respectively, appeared in consecutive installments of the live-action "G. I. Joe" films — Gordon-Levitt in G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and Willis in G. I. Joe: Retaliation (2013).
- #027
As of 2026, it is Rian Johnson's most recent film that is not a franchise entry (since directing it, he has directed one Star Wars film and three Knives Out films).
- #028
CID bears similarities to Anthony in The Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life," season 3, episode 8.
- #029
In one scene, Bruce Willis carries two FN P90 submachine guns. The same model has been standard issue for the team in "Stargate SG-1" since season 4.
Production Story (29)
- #030
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was fitted with prosthetics and studied Bruce Willis's films to portray young Joe. He was so successful that Willis noticed his own mannerisms in their scenes together.
- #031
Joe's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) fall down the fire escape was shot on the actor's 30th birthday. While the crew sang "Happy Birthday" and handed out a birthday cake, Gordon-Levitt hung suspended on the acrobatic wires.
- #032
The script initially required Joe to move to Paris when he grew up, so he spends his first scenes trying to learn French. But Rian Johnson soon realized they didn't have the money to shoot in Paris. He considered using New Orleans as a "stand in" for Paris, but rejected the idea. The film's Chinese distributor offered to pay for the crew to shoot in Shanghai, and Johnson accepted, both because it solved the Paris problem and because he felt Shanghai better reflected the film's future setting.
- #033
According to director Rian Johnson, Noah Segan (Kid Blue) took several lessons to learn how to spin his gun on his finger. Johnson told Entertainment Weekly that he filmed many takes of Segan spinning the four-pound gun, but that he used the take where Segan nearly dropped it because Johnson thought it was funny.
- #034
In the future, the Rainmaker's men will wear black coats and wide-brimmed hats. During the filming of Cid's childhood room, a poster of "Bad Bob" and an action figure on his desk wearing the same black coat and wide-brimmed hat can be seen.
- #035
Emily Blunt stated that she agreed to take part in the film after reading half the script. She didn't even know what her character was.
- #036
A restaurant was built in the small Louisiana town of Thibodaux (sixty miles west of New Orleans) where all the restaurant's interior/exterior scenes were shot. Local people saw the restaurant set and kept asking the film crew when the new restaurant would open. After filming was completed, it was left there. Director Rian Johnson was later told that it was still standing after Hurricane Isaac passed through in September 2012. The hurricane destroyed it in March 2014.
- #037
The script for this film was on the 2010 Black List; the list of the year's "most liked" unproduced screenplays.
- #038
Joe is seen studying French but doesn't get very far. Ironically, Joseph Gordon-Levitt speaks fluent French.
- #039
The incredibly large "GAT" handguns are not a prop created only for the film, but real production firearms. This is a Magnum Research BFR (Big Frame Revolver) chambered in.45-.70 Government, a rifle cartridge first adopted by the US army in 1873. The BFR weighs about 4.5 pounds.
- #040
The red car Joe drives is a Mark 1 Mazda MX5 (also known as the Miata). This model was produced between 1990 and 1998. This suits Joe's taste in late-20th-century clothing.
- #041
Nathan Johnson based the film's music largely on sounds he recorded himself, such as the car crash and the treadmill in the hotel room. He later combined his "virtual instruments" with a real orchestra, and some of this can be heard in the finished film.
- #042
At one point Bruce Willis fires two modern-looking Personal Defense Weapons. These are examples of the FN P90, designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. Although they look somewhat futuristic, these weapons, first produced in 1990, would be considered nearly antique in the period in which the film is set.
- #043
Rian Johnson wanted the 1984 Tri-Star logo to open the film but, for unknown reasons, couldn't get it. Although the 1993 Tri-Star logo precedes US copies of the film, the printed version is not shown (partly because this was done by Endgame and FilmDistrict). The film's title is the last thing seen in the end title sequence.
- #044
The second of three films starring Emily Blunt that feature characters trying to change the future. The first was The Adjustment Bureau (2011), and the third was Edge of Tomorrow (2014).
- #045
Sara, as a harbinger of her son Cid's name "The Rainmaker," mainly uses a futuristic crop eraser that makes it rain.
- #046
This film marks the third collaboration between director Rian Johnson and lead actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt; the first was Brick (2005), and the second was a brief role as a bar owner in The Brothers Bloom (2008).
- #047
Although not seen in the film, Cid would have been 35 years old when he became the "Rainmaker" in 2074.
- #048
Joe is right-handed, while Old Joe is left-handed. Not only that, all of Old Joe's mannerisms (his crooked smile, the way he tilts his head, etc.) are mirrored.
- #049
The turntable seen in several photos is a Gyro SE manufactured by the British company Michell Engineering. It has remained in continuous production since 1983.
- #050
The first Rainmaker potential lives at 417 W. Chariton St., named after Rian Johnson's friends Dan Chariton and Stacy Chariton.
- #051
Jeff Daniels plays Abe, Joe's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) boss who also acts as a mentor. The characters shared a similar mentor relationship in The Lookout (2007), in which Daniels played Gordon-Levitt's roommate who helps him cope with his disability.
- #052
Bruce Willis is 1.80 tall. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is only 1.70.
- #053
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis appeared together again two years later in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), but they did not share a single scene.
- #054
The Michell - Gyro SE turntable was offered for sale at $3,600 in various shoots in 2020.
- #055
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, who play Joe and Old Joe respectively, appeared in successive installments of the live-action "G. I. Joe" films - Gordon-Levitt in G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and Willis in G. I. Joe: Retaliation (2013).
- #056
As of 2026, it is Rian Johnson's most recent film that is not a franchise entry (since directing this film he has directed one Star Wars and 3 Knives Out films).
- #057
CID bears similarities to Anthony in The Twilight Zone's It's A Good Life, season 3, episode 8.
- #058
In one scene Bruce Willis carries two FN P90 submachine guns. The same model has been standard issue for the team in the "Stargate SG-1" series (since season 4).
Behind the Scenes (1)
- #059
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the future, the Rainmaker's men will wear black coats and wide-brimmed hats. During the filming of Cid's childhood room, a poster of "Bad Bob" and an action figure on his desk wearing the same black coat and wide-brimmed hat are visible.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #060
The film marks the third collaboration between director Rian Johnson and lead actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt; the first was Brick (2005), and the second was a brief role as a bar owner in The Brothers Bloom (2008).
- #061
Jeff Daniels plays Abe, who is Joe's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) boss but also acts as his mentor. The characters shared a similar mentoring relationship in The Lookout (2007), where Daniels played the roommate who helps Gordon-Levitt's character cope with his disability.
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #062
Contains a major spoiler — show
A recurring motif in the film is clouds, including the clouds in the sky, cigarette smoke, the cloud of dust Joe uses to defeat Kid Blue, and even the cream poured into black coffee (when Cid kills Jesse, the blood also has a cloud-like appearance). This ties into the "Rainmaker" plot.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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