Movies - TV
Looper Was Rian Johnson's Chance To Make A Film That Fit In The World Of Philip K. Dick
By DEVIN MEENAN
Aside from Rian Johnson’s second film, “The Brothers Bloom,” the director has found his niche making sci-fi and mystery movies. Johnson has drawn inspiration from such authors as Dashiell Hammett and Agatha Christie while making detective mystery films, but “Looper” allowed him to create a world that feels like it came straight from one of Philip K. Dick’s books.
“Looper” follows Joe, a hitman that kills targets sent from the future who's trying to get out of the game by finishing one last task: eliminating his future self. Johnson originally conceived it as a short film, but as the idea began growing and incorporating new elements, the director thought, “Oh this little cool plot device can make a movie that’s about this.”
Johnson revealed, “When I wrote the short [that became ‘Looper’], I was in the middle of reading Philip K. Dick’s books, and I’d wanted to do something in that world for a while.” Joe resembles Rick Deckard from Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” as both are cynical assassins; “Looper” also shares themes with “Minority Report” by raising questions about fate.