By Dave Steele

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The year is 2044. The income gap has widened to the point of an economic cataclysm that has rendered currency virtually useless.

Silver and gold rule the streets. Now organized crime thrives in a morally stagnant and fiscally desperate United States.

However, police are cracking down, and it has become literally impossible to dispose of a body via the use of trackers. But the mob has a trick up their sleeve — time travel. It hasn’t been invented yet, but in 30 years, it will be.

In an attempt to eradicate evidence, the mob will hire “loopers” to instantly kill whoever gets sent back to the past.

The loopers collect their pay and move on with their lives.

Joe Simmons, the mob’s youngest yet brightest looper, is indulging in his newly found riches and is having the time of his life. Drugs, women, you name it. If it’s fun, he’s doing it.

However, when Joe is making his rounds, he is rocked to the core when he realizes that his next target is himself, 30 years weathered.

The mob is closing his loop. With conflicting intentions, Joe and his future self go about different paths to save themselves and protect their current situations.

Movies about the future can be very special. Rather than encompassing what has happened in the past or what life is like today, writers have a unique opportunity to create their own universe from scratch.

Everything from flicking on the lights to blowing off somebody’s head can be tinkered with in a way that suits the story’s intentions.

“Looper” does this without flaw.

Audiences will be so immersed in director Rian Johnson’s wit that they will want to see it again to catch what they may have missed the first time around.

“Looper” is smart — damn smart.

It teases audiences by making them think they feel special or content for guessing a would-be ending. Then just when you get comfortable, Johnson throws in a twist within a twist that will leave audiences in a drooling state of shock.

You may want to bring some ear plugs to keep your brain from shooting temporal lobe all over your date. Mmmmm.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s chemistry with his surroundings is perfect. Not to mention the exceptional makeup job to ease the transition into his future self (Bruce Willis).

This movie will keep you up at night, not because it is disturbing or scary (although it is dark as hell), but because you will be trying to think of a science-fiction movie that took you on such a great ride. “Looper” has earned its spot among the ranks of “Inception,” “The Matrix” and “Blade Runner” as one of the most captivating and intelligent movies of all time.

It’s that good.

5 out of 5 stars.