The trailer naturally goes out of its way in the early going to set up the concept of a future in which time travel is very much possible and very much illegal, used exclusively by criminals who send victims thirty years prior, where said victims are whacked by assassins called Loopers who then dispose of the evidence.

All is well for the Looper played by Gordon-Levitt until his future self shows up on the killing mat.  Since his future self is Bruce Motherf**king Willis, he doesn't go quietly.  Craziness ensues, as you can see in the trailer below or in high definition at Apple, where it debuted this afternoon.

The prosthetic makeup effects that make Gordon-Levitt slightly resemble Willis look damn fine in action, but what's more than that, the younger actor's performance looks like something special.  He's not doing an imitation, yet there are some subtle little Willis-isms in what he's doing here.  That's something to look forward to. 

Well, that and a filmmaker as talented as Johnson handling a trippy action thriller.  The director has established his bona fides as a stylist and a writer of genuinely interesting characters with Brick and The Brothers Bloom.  For all the wonderful things about Brick, one of the least noted is the way Johnson constructs gripping and unconventional action sequences.  With a bigger budget and a sci-fi setup, Looper has the potential to be something oh-so special.

Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt lead the film, which also stars Emily Blunt, Garret Dillahunt, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels, Paul Dano, and Noah Segan, working with Johnson for the third time.

Looper.  September 28th.  Huzzah.