Rian Johnson directed this 2012 sci-fi thriller where hitmen known as "loopers" dispose of bodies sent back in time by future crime syndicates, leading to a young assassin encountering his older self. What is this time-bending film called?

The film you're thinking of is Looper (Review), the acclaimed 2012 science fiction thriller directed by Rian Johnson. This inventive movie plunges viewers into a dystopian future where time travel, though illegal, is exploited by criminal syndicates. They send their targets back to the year 2044, where hitmen known as "loopers" await to dispose of the bodies, effectively erasing them from the future timeline.

The central conflict of Looper unfolds when Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character, Joe, a young looper, is tasked with eliminating a target who turns out to be his older self, played by Bruce Willis. This unexpected encounter forces both versions of Joe into a desperate struggle, with the younger trying to fulfill his contract and the older attempting to alter a catastrophic future. The film masterfully explores themes of fate, free will, and the moral complexities of violence across different timelines.

Director Rian Johnson, who also wrote the screenplay, conceived the idea for Looper years before its production, aiming for a time-travel story that prioritized character and narrative over intricate paradoxes. To achieve the visual continuity between the two versions of Joe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt underwent extensive makeup and prosthetics to resemble a younger Bruce Willis, even studying Willis's mannerisms. The film was a critical and commercial success, praised for its originality and engaging storytelling, further solidifying Johnson's reputation as a talented filmmaker.