Bruce Willis punches the laws of physics in the face in this thrilling tale of time travel, mobsters and blunderbuss wielding assassins.

Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a specialised hitman – a looper – living in 2044. His targets are sent back from the future, the year 2074, where time travel is not only possible, but also highly illegal. In 2074 disposing of a body is all but impossible, so gangs cover up their crimes by sending their victims back in time to be murdered by loopers like Joe. The loopers have it great; they live a life of excess, earning good money for easy, if morally reprehensible work. The only catch: the time will come when they have to “close their loop” and kill their future self.

But things start to go wrong for Joe when his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back to 2044 for execution. Future Joe, as you’d expect from action behemoth Willis, is not just going to sit there and take it. He escapes, leaving him on the run from both his younger self and the ruthless gang for which he works, all the while relentlessly pursuing his own fateful agenda.

Looper is an intelligent, action-packed thriller that delivers far more depth than you probably expected. The world is beautifully crafted, the story gripping and the acting more than a match for the fantastic writing that created this entertaining film. The violence is uncompromisingly brutal, yet handled in a clever, artful way that manages to make it far more chilling. The action is everything you would hope for when seeing a film about time travelling hitmen. There are enough shots fired to match The Expendables for ammo usage, and Willis notches up more kills than he ever managed in Die Hard.

The real surprise of the film is the emotional depth instilled in the main cast. Willis shows his emotional side, and Gordon-Levitt’s younger Joe gives a lesson in character development, aided by troubled single mother Sara (Emily Blunt). Add this to the fast-paced action and Looper becomes one of this year’s must-see films.