One of the best sci-fi movies of the 21st century is on TV tonight

Stephen Porzio

Featuring a great cast, the film has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Our TV movie pick for tonight (Thursday, 5 September) is Looper, the 2012 sci-fi action thriller from writer-director Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Poker Face).

The film is set in a near-future where time-travel exists but it is only available to those with the means to pay for it on the black market.

“When the mob wants to eliminate someone, it sends the target into the past, where a hit man known as a ‘looper’ lies in wait to finish the job,” the plot synopsis reads.

“Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is one such hired gun, and he does his job well – until the day his bosses decide to ‘close the loop’ and send Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) back in time to be killed.”

Co-starring Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Noah Segan, Paul Dano and Piper Perabo, Looper boasts a tremendously inventive sci-fi story, a string of memorable action set-pieces and intoxicating neo-noir vibes – albeit with a futuristic twist.

Both a hit at the box office and with critics – 93% on Rotten Tomatoes – it cemented Johnson as one of Hollywood’s best filmmakers, leading to him directing Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out.

Looper is airing on TV tonight on Sky Sci-Fi at 9pm. It is also currently streaming on NOW Cinema.

Here are the other movies on TV tonight:

French Exit – Film4 – 9pm

In this 2021 dramedy, Michelle Pfeiffer plays a widowed New York socialite who moves, with her aimless son (Lucas Hedges), to Paris after she spends the last of her husband’s inheritance.

Why Him? – Comedy Central – 9pm

In this comedy, a father (Bryan Cranston) tries to stop his daughter’s immature tech-millionaire boyfriend (James Franco) from asking her to marry him.

Ulzana’s Raid / Red Sun – Legend – 9pm / 11pm

Two ’70s Westerns on Legend tonight.

Hannie Caulder – Legend Xtra – 9pm

Another ’70s Western, this time starring Raquel Welch, Robert Culp and Ernest Borgnine.

Porridge – BBC Four – 9.15pm

The big-screen version of the classic British prison-set sitcom.

Get Carter – BBC Four – 10.45pm

When his brother dies under mysterious circumstances in a car accident, London gangster Jack Carter (Michael Caine) travels to Newcastle to investigate.

This 70’s British gangster flick has garnered a cult following since its release and is one of Caine’s most iconic movies.

Castle Freak – Legend Xtra – 10.45pm

Two Americans inherit an Italian castle with a dark secret in this ’90s shocker from Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon.

Assault on Precinct 13 – ITV4 – 10.50pm

The quite solid 2005 remake of the classic John Carpenter thriller.

This reimagining stars Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne and Gabriel Byrne.

Trading Places – Film4 – 11.15pm

The classic Eddie Murphy/Dan Aykroyd-led comedy about a poor street hustler and an upper-class commodities broker whose lives cross.

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