The Top 10 Movies Of 2012: Mack's List

7) Looper There are a lot of people out there who are bothered by how the t’s cross and i’s dot when it comes to time travel in Looper. I really don’t care about any of that. Time travel rarely works logically because once it’s invented, things should constantly change to the point that no single path is every set in stone, and that ever-evolving mess is impossible to ever fully tame. Thus, the more important element in Looper to me is whether or not it’s a badass drama about an assassin trying to kill his own father and an older gentlemen mowing down children, and the answer to that question is a resounding yes.

With great performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels and newcomer Pierce Gagnon, Looper is able to present a fascinating web of conflicting perspectives and intentions without turning any one person into the “bad guy”. It’s a well-written, well-shot and clever movie, and Cid Harrington’s meltdown with Jesse remains the most fucked-up and awesome moment I saw at the movies all year.