Awhile back I was in a videostore looking for something to watch for the weekend. I came across a movie I’d never heard of before, The Limey, but decided to rent it because it was a Soderbergh film (sex, lies and videotape) and because of a rather notable cast. I’ve always liked Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda was certainly a draw, Lesley Ann Warren I can tolerate, Luis Guzman makes me smile and Barry Newman, well, can you say Vanishing Point? Not knowing what to expect, I sat down with an open mind.
Good grief, this movie was more than entertaining, it was memorable and gave me an entire new respect for Stamp’s ability to absolutely nail a role. He’s the British father of a girl murdered by an American music producer, played scummily by Fonda. Warren and Guzman are his only acquaintances and help him learn the ropes this side of the pond as he battles Newman to get to a well protected Fonda. Stamp is relentless in his desire for revenge and that drive makes him hugely appealing. Soderbergh also works in clips from a much earlier Stamp film and the effect, much like the out of sequence shots, works to perfection.
Anybody else see this and, if so, were you taken with it as well? I again saw it on cable a month or two later and marveled yet again at what I thought was a very well told story of a badass that loved and misses his daughter.
Did you notice that the flashback sequences use old movie clips of Terence Stamp when he was younger? I don’t remember specifically which film it was (some English crime caper), but I thought that was an especially cool touch.
It’s been over a year since I saw it but I agree that it’s some fine acting by Stamp. Another he’s in that’s equally good (along with John Hurt) is “The Hit.”
The Hit, eh? I see that Tim Roth is in that too. Thanks, now I have another new flick to look forward to.
5que, from what I could find that film was Poor Cow shot sometime in the '60s. Makes me curious about it too. I wonder if anyone coming in here will have seen it. Apparently Soderbergh bought the rights to it just so he could use it in Limey.
I sqaw it first on the flight over to California 5 years ago when I came to settle on your American shores. A great film to watch before settling in USA as a limey.
Haven’t seen it but I’ve heard nothing but good things about it from other filmfanfriends, two of whom have degrees in film and can be a bit snotty about what they recommend. If I find on DVD for less than $10, I’m grabbing it.
I’m one of the fourteen people who saw it on the big screen during its initial release.
I love the little moment where we’re inside the producer’s house during the party and we notice in the background that Stamp, visible through the window out on the patio, is tossing a goon over the rail. Hilarious.
I caught this one a couple of years ago. I liked it, though I seem to recall the story just kind of washed out at the end. What I remember most is Stamp’s performance. He was like granite in that story. I mean, that dude was hard. Definitely an underappreciated movie; I agree with the above sentiments and would recommend it to anyone.
I wouldn’t call it washing out… He gets revenge on the man who killed his daughter. He also learns that his life of crime indirectly got his daughter killed. It’s anti-climatic in some ways because revenge usually is.
I remember Ebert liked it when it came out. I missed it in the theaters, but probably rented it the first week it was out. Excellent movie.
I’m fuzzy on the details because it’s been several years now, but the impression I’m left with is “Good tough guy stuff, but personal and psychological.”
“Matchstick Men” might be in a similar vein, but I didn’t really like that.
Pity, but not entirely surprising. Thanks though for saving me four bucks.
Dooku, you and others though do bring up one of the more compelling aspects of the movie, that being it’s subtle but macabre sense of humor. Like Cervaise, that scene where Stamp launches the bouncer elicited quite the belly laugh. His attemps to understand as well as communicate a vernacular both foreign and out of date were somewhat entertaining too.
And yes, Push, accepting his partial responsibility through not being there did apparently fuel some degree of focus. “Hard” indeed.
Let me be the one who really didn’t like it.
I appreciated the acting, but the movie was just so slow and the characters were very unlikable.
It also didn’t help that my DVD had the audio badly out-of-sync.
There were 2 seconds between the delivery and the sound.
Maybe I should watch it again.
I wasn’t speaking so much about the story line (“the drama”) as in the execution of the last few scenes. I remember the ending being something of a letdown after what went before. But then again, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, so maybe I’m just not remembering that well. Still, it’s a good movie overall.
My roomate came home a couple of years ago with a move called L.I.E. and he opened it up in horror, as Blockbuster (shock) had the wrong DVD in the case. The Limey was the DVD.
Having no expectations or any pre-conceived notions about the film, we both thought it was outstanding. Especially Fonda’s character, as well as Stamp.
God, I loved this movie. It’s been a few years since I rented it, but I keep meaning to pick it up. I always thought it would make an excellent double bill with Jackie Brown. They have a lot of similarities, each springing directly from a background of a certain kind of movie from a very specific time: *The Limey * comes from late '60s British gangster/American counter culture movies and Jackie Brown from '70s exploitation films. Take those movies and grow 'em up a couple of decades and you have a couple of movies that are excellent movies in their own right but also catnip for film geeks on other levels.
I saw it in the theater and found it immensly enjoyable. If you liked it you should also check out a few other recent(ish) English crime movies… Sexy Beast The Croupier Gangster No. 1
I gotta say that I really enjoyed Barry Newman’s performance as well. Much like Fonda’s instant cult status with Easy Rider, so rose Barry with Vanishing Point but then he seemed to pull one of his own.
Here though he was an apt foe, strong in every way Valentine (Fonda) was weak. I couldn’t help but think that were I in Valentine’s place, I’d want a smart, cold bastard like him taking care of things. Here the two ex icons have come together one last time to form an able anti- for Stamp.
