>like I get that you don't get simple stuff.

Hey, thanks for understanding.

>but bruce willis was first.
>jgl's timeline we follow in the movie was second.
>
>when you see bruce willis' youngerself kill his older self in
>the standardway and live out his life...THAT IS BRUCE WILLIS
>HAVING A FLASHBACK TO WHAT ALREADY HAPPENED TO HIM

Not sure if I got that part of it because I don't recall being able to tell when the flashback started vs. when another loop starts. (I usually want to see wavy lines and have harp music playing.)

The director mentions it here:
http://www.slashfilm.com/ten-mysteries-in-looper-explained-by-director-rian-johnson/

1. The first time Old Joe pops back to the present, he escapes. Later we see him die in the same place. Which happens first and why the deception?

The first time we see Old Joe and he escapes is actually the second time he appears in the straight story. According to Johnson, and evident upon a second viewing of the film, the straight line of narrative is that Joe becomes a looper, closes his loop by killing Old Joe (this is the second time we see the scene in the field), goes to China, meets his wife, then gets sent back without the hood and escapes, setting off the rest of the movie, which is the first and third time we see him.

“The reason I made the break and decided to invert it was the problem, narratively, is our main character is now – for all intents and purposes – Old Joe. Because now we’re following him and I wanted the protagonist to be young Joe,” Johnson said.


So, I think it was just an editing choice that didn't trigger it being a flashback for me.


Email the director and let him know it was a flashback.

And can you explain why in Pulp Fiction Vincent gets killed in the middle, but then he's back alive at the end??