Bruce Willis' 119-Minute Sci-Fi Thriller Is Running Out of Time on Free Streaming

1 week ago 17

Bruce Willis on the red carpet for Glass

Published Feb 15, 2026, 9:20 AM EST

Ryan O'Rourke is a Senior News Writer at Collider with a specific interest in all things adult animation, video game adaptations, and the work of Mike Flanagan. He is also an experienced baseball writer with over six years of articles between multiple outlets, most notably FanSided's CubbiesCrib. Whether it's taking in a baseball game, a new season of Futurama or Castlevania: Nocturne, or playing the latest From Software title, he is always finding ways to show his fandom. When it comes to gaming and anything that takes inspiration from it, he is deeply opinionated on what's going on. Outside of entertainment, he's a graduate of Eureka College with a Bachelor's in Communication where he honed his craft as a writer. Between The IV Leader at Illinois Valley Community College and The Pegasus at Eureka, he spent the majority of his college career publishing articles on everything from politics to campus happenings and, of course, entertainment for the student body. Those principles he learned covering the 2020 election, Palestine, and so much more are brought here to Collider, where he has gleefully written on everything from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes to Nathan Lane baby-birding sewer boys.

At the height of his career, Bruce Willis anchored some of the most enduring classics of the 1980s through the 2000s, from action hits like Die Hard to M. Night Shyamalan's twisty horror, The Sixth Sense, and Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. However, recent years have seen him take a step back in favor of smaller projects, with the Detective Knight films marking some of his last cinematic efforts in 2022 and 2023. Before leaving the spotlight, though, the two-time Emmy winner gave viewers one final modern gem in 2012, embracing a thought-provoking sci-fi concept blended with the action and crime thrills that made him a superstar.

Looper explores the complications of time travel in a world where it's relegated only to those who can afford it on the black market. It's primarily used by the mob to kill targets by sending them back in time 30 years, when a hired gun, the titular looper, is lying in wait. The pay is great, but in the end, the loop must be closed, and the assassin must execute their future self to keep any of the syndicate's loose ends tied up. Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds himself in that predicament when his older counterpart, played by Willis, appears and escapes on a mission to change his fate. Both Joes become embroiled in a fight for survival, ultimately seeking to make a brighter future and wrestling with what sacrifices that may require. With a $176.5 million box office haul and rave reviews alike, it became an instant classic of its genre, though, sadly, it's soon about to get harder to watch.

On February 28, Pluto TV will say goodbye to Looper as it reshuffles its streaming catalog. With the shortened month, that leaves only a couple of weeks to catch the Rian Johnson-directed hit for free before it disappears. For Johnson, who broke out with his directorial debut neo-noir mash-up Brick, also starring Gordon-Levitt, the film represented his last smaller-scale original concept before being called to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi and later crafting his star-studded murder-mystery Knives Out trilogy. It's still considered one of his best in comparison to those bigger-budget franchise projects, too, complete with a strong cast of its own also featuring Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, and Jeff Daniels alongside Gordon-Levitt and Willis.

Rian Johnson Is Returning to the Sci-Fi Genre

Bruce Willis holds a younger version of himself (Joseph Gordon Levitt) and aims a gun off camera

Last year's Wake Up Dead Man closed the loop on a high note for now on Johnson's Knives Out trilogy, now that his deal with Netflix is up. He's keen to continue making more lavish murder mysteries, but the completion of his two sequels for the streamer offers him a unique opportunity to chart a new course. Specifically, he's expressed interest in returning to more light sci-fi fare like Looper with his next project, and the writer-director already has an idea in mind. During a Q&A with Collider's Steve Weintraub at an FYC screening, Johnson confirmed that he was putting pen to paper on the film, calling it "something original that's kind of like a paranoid thriller, sort of." It may be a while until his 1970s-tinged vision comes to life, though.

Looper is available to watch for free through the end of the month on Pluto TV. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on all the biggest titles coming to and leaving streaming throughout the year.