Rating: Summary: Editing Fails to Salvage Nonexistent Story, Savages it. Review: It's hard for me to believe the raves that this movie has garnered from the Amazon critics. It's one of the dullest, most pretentious films I've ever had the displeasure of seeing. THE LIMEY takes a non-story and tries to fool you into thinking there's a story there by nonstop flashbacks until you don't know where or when you are. THE LIMEY is a sophomoric mishmash. Lately, movies have been using flashbacks as if they were just invented. FELICIA'S JOURNEY uses them so often that the dialogue starts before the flashback starts, as if the director couldn't wait to get into the flashback. Thus you think you're hearing dialogue in real time only to keep finding out -- surprise -- you've been fooled again. But the major difference between LIMEY and FELICIA, which is why I'm making the comparison, is that if you have a story, then flashbacks are one way to tell the story. If you have no story at all, which is the case with THE LIMEY, then flashbacks are annoying because you think they're filling in the plot whereas in fact there is no plot to fill in. Terence Stamp is OK in this film if you like actors whose features are totally passive, who don't react to anything. Even Clint Eastwood occasionally moves his eyebrows. Stamp must have watched all the Eastwood movies and said, "I can do that! Heck, I can even control my eyebrows so they don't move at all." Bottom line: if you see THE LIMEY, don't say I didn't warn you.
Rating: Summary: "Tell me about Jenny," he whispered. Review: Wilson (Terence Stamp) is an aging, but still surprisingly capable, British criminal just released from prison. He travels from the UK to LA and begins looking into his daughter's recent death with a gut feeling that Jenny's car wreck was not an accident. There Wilson meets Jenny's closest friends and asks them all about her life in LA. He soon targets Valentine (Peter Fonda), Jenny's lover, as the obvious culprit.
That's the surface of the film, but there is another layer here that turned standard thriller material into sublime art house fare. "The Limey" is very much a visual, cerebral film that moves in spirals and wanders through a labyrinth of moods and lyrical images. The film is finally all about memories, and its climax is an epiphany of memory and of the strange patterns that we fall into in our lives.
"The Limey" takes a circuitous approach to the phenomenon of women falling for men like their fathers and bringing their father-daughter baggage along with them. What trouble these relationships are the specific emotional patterns and games people play, which are worked out in great detail between child and parent very early in life. So what happens when you bring all that to a relationship with a new person who doesn't know the rules of your game, doesn't know when you're bluffing or when you're making a serious threat? Well, in a worst case scenario you might just end up dead.
And how does it feel, as a parent, to recognize your own handiwork in your child's homespun catastrophe? "The Limey" answers that question with the force of Greek tragedy, and the answer rings true. The film is a rare cinematic accomplishment, achieving both an honest emotional foundation for Wilson's dark epiphany and a web of rich, resonant images that anchor the entire experience in a vivid, dazzling tapestry.
Rating: Summary: Character builder Review: A pleasant film that garners attention for all of the right reasons, "The Limey" is a stylish movie that relies on story-telling more than plot to make an enjoyable experience. Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda play wonderfully flawed characters that have more in common than they would like to admit. They spend the movie in a game of "hunter-and-hunted," unwilling to see that they each perpetuate the other's violence with every move they make. While Stamp and Fonda are brilliant, the true ingenuity behind this film is in the directing and editing. Steven Soderbergh relies heavily on pastiche and montage as a means of creating a cohesive world for his characters. Using scenes from the 1960's film "Poor Cow" to develop a history for Wilson (Stamp) is highly successful in producing a believable character with an intelligible past. It is this type of depth and attention to detail that helps Soderbergh to keep his actors from becoming mere caricatures of themselves. The fractured editing by Sarah Flack is beautiful and well-done, serving to deepen an exceedingly simple story. Certain scenes and moments have a tendency to reappear and reverbrate off of each other. The only thing that could have improved this film - and elevated it to 5 stars - would have been a bit more attention to an interesting storyline. With a touch of complexity, this movie could have been a true classic, rather than just a character study. It was refreshing, however, to watch this intelligent movie take stock of criminality and the psyches of those that succumb to and perpetuate its lifestyle.
Rating: Summary: A BLOODY GOOD FILM! Review: Ah,this film is....COOL! A def homage to NOIR & 70's movies such as POINT BLANK & THE GET AWAY.Terrance Stamp & Peter Fonda are perfect & Luis Guzman(one of the best character actors today)is on the money as well.Great direction,good story telling & fantastic acting make this one of the years best! Nice touch using old mvie clips from STAMPS earlier film for flashbacks!This movie although not a "action" film keeps it going w/out explosions & rap music(oh the old days)!Def a keeper,do yourself a favor & buy this film for your collection. BTW, "TELL HIM IM COMING"!
Rating: Summary: PURITY OF HEART IS TO WILL ONE THING! Review: Steven Soderbergh has created an icy, no frills thriller about a British ex-convict father seeking vengeance for the suspected killing of his daughter. Terence Stamp is convincingly brutal in his pursuit of "the fairyland" man whom he believes responsible for the death of his "princess", Jennifer. EASY RIDER Peter Fonda superbly plays an emasculated Flower child-man. He is now the huevo-less hippie who...as the most renowned of West Coast rock music's "pro-mo agents"...serves as Front for the Mob's money-laundering arm of their lucrative, ruthlessly, enforced Drug Trade. Hood-wanna-be's, stone killers and Yuppie-drug groupies abound in this archly ironic, steel-in-ice fable about the pursuit and defense of Goodness. Stamp's Wilson is fearless and frightening as a "pure of heart" father and unapologetic criminal determined to mete-out JUSTICE against those who have destroyed the only source of love, kindness and truth in his life. Luis Guzman is excellent as the guileless friend Ed who willing risks his life "por nada" to help Wilson track down the corrupters and killers of his child. Soderbergh's direction is masterful in his use of flashbacks and flashforwards to display the "bloody options" and consequences of prospective actions by Wilson to the viewer. The scene where he furtively peruses "Fonda's Fortress" closet filled with silk shirts, custom tailored suits, Italian shoes and leather accouterment leaves one with the implication that to Fonda, Miss Jenny may have been just another flashy piece of designer clothing,(or Hippie-Happening accessory...)and Wilson has taken his enemy's true measure. Make no mistake, Terence Stamp's Wilson is no Sir Galahad. Yet his anti-hero's quest for Justice...in the end...is manly, honorable and, perhaps, redemptive. Another review compares this film with the Michael Caine classic, GET CARTER! I disagree. Not because Jack Carter and Wilson are essentially different but because Director Soderbergh's film rejects cynicism for an affirmation of the proverbial Purity-of-Heart which struggles to Will One Thing. And that thing is NEVER revenge. THE LIMEY is a modern day morality fable. And Wilson is a ruthless avenging Angel...
Rating: Summary: gimmickry spoilt the movie Review: Soderbergh has the tendency of playing around with the concept of time in his movies (Out of sight is another movie that comes to mind.) The Limey has its moments, but the intercuts of scenes become grating by the third use. At times, it appears that Soderbergh was in competition with his actors to see if they could one-up his camera. The actors did well, but the movie suffers as the result. It is as if Soderbergh wanted to make light of the irony of the ending, and chose to distract the viewers instead. If you like art movie, check it out (some of the intercuts actually remind me of some old movies by Jean-Luc Godard.) If you prefer profound movies, there are better movies out there.
Rating: Summary: I was disappointed Review: The Limey is about a man who travels to southern California to investigate the murder of his daughter. I just didn't see why the critics loved this movie. To me, it seemed like everyone involved was trying too hard to make it another Pulp Fiction. An uninteresting story line that didn't always make sense didn't help this any either.
Rating: Summary: ¿Tell me about Jenny,¿ he said. Review: Wilson (Terence Stamp) is an aging, but still surprisingly capable, British criminal just released from prison. He travels from the UK to LA and begins looking into his daughter's recent death, with a gut feeling that it was not the accident it was made out to be. There Wilson meets Jenny's closest friends and asks them asks them all about Jenny's life in LA. He soon targets Valentine (Peter Fonda), Jenny's lover, as the obvious culprit. That's the surface of the film, but there is another layer here that turned a standard thriller into sublime art house fare. "The Limey" is very much a visual, cerebral film which moves in spirals and wanders through a labyrinth of lyrical images and moods. The film is finally all about memories, and its climax is an epiphany of memory and of the strange patterns that we fall into in our lives. "The Limey" takes a circuitous approach to the phenomenon of women falling for men like their fathers and bringing their father-daughter baggage along with them. What trouble these relationships are the specific emotional patterns and games people play, which are worked out in great detail between child and parent very early in life. Now, when you bring all that to a relationship with a new person who doesn't know the rules of your game, doesn't know when you're bluffing or when you're making a serious threat... well, in a worst case scenario, you might just end up dead. So how does it feel, as a parent, to recognize your own handiwork in your child's homespun tragedy? "The Limey" answers that question with the force of Greek tragedy, and the answer rings true. The film is truly a rare accomplishment, achieving both an honest emotional foundation for Wilson's dark epiphany and a web of rich, resonant images which anchors the entire experience in an unforgettable tapestry.
Rating: Summary: Sublime Limey ? Not A Chance ! Review: Do not expect a twisted and mangled complicated plot or mellodramatic characters; There are none. For 90 minutes the viewer is treated to an out of order (whether the sequences are imagined or will become real remain to be seen) story. The plot is of a man released from prison who wants answers from a multi-millionaire music producer regarding the truth behind his daughter's suspicious death.Terence Stamp's performance as the Limey is what will keep the viewer's attention; He turns in one helluva performance as a semi-rough around the edges yet-sophisticated English/Cockney gent released from prison. The Limey almost comes across as a Charles Bronson character, who despite his older man physical attributes, is still able to do major damage control to those who cross his path and try to hinder his "investigation". He uses his somewhat subtle Cockney charm and accent to accomplish his mission ( check out the scene where he is explaining his actions in his thick accent to an interrogating police detective; it's both critical and yet humorous).Is The Limey a sleep inducer? No. Is it an action flick? No. However, when the scenes with the Limey going in for the kill, what little action, are worth it with a bang! The dvd transfer is clear and right on target with regards to color and sharp images. The 5.1 Dolby Surround track delivers quite a punch (pun intended). As a viewer with center channel capability I felt like I was receiving the wallops in the bar scene ! For anyone who thinks they recognize Terence Stamp from a previous current film, they're right. He appeared in Lucas' Phantom Menace as Chancellor Vallorum who was ousted from his seat by Queen Amidala and the senate. I recommend this video for it's strong characters and 90 minute length. Had the film been two hours plus I probably would not push this one on friends ! Otherwise, GO FOR IT !
Rating: Summary: REVENGE IS SWEET! Review: An excellent film! This is the best film of the year! I loved every minute of it, and the excellent actors it features including Terence Stamp (Poor Cow, Star Wars Episode 1, Bowfinger) and Peter Fonda (Easy Rider, Ulee's Gold.) This isn't just a revenge film, it's a film about two men. First there's Wilson (Terence Stamp.) Wilson is a British jewel thief whose been in prison half his life, and has a daughter Jenny living in Las Angeles. After his last nine year sentence he is an old, tough ex-con. He immediately flies to Las Angeles to investigate his daughter's "accidental" death. They say she fell asleep at the wheel. Wilson hardly believes that and along with his daughter's friend Eddy, he begins to investigate. He meets Jenny's acting coach and buys a gun, and goes a hunt for revenge against his daughter's killer, Terry Valentine. Second, Terry Valetine (Peter Fonda.) Valentine is an older man warped in his 60's life, he's a record promoter whose been involved with top names like Santana. He lives with his with a girlfriend whose mother he knew while she was pregnet with her. He also is friends with his security agent Avery, who helps him when he learns Jenny's father's in town, seeking revenge. Add events happening all around them, like Avery hiring a bar thug and his friend to assassinate Wilson. Along with great action scenes like a car chase around a mountain between Wilson, Eddy, and Avery and a shocking shoot out ending that will leave you breathless. Tying it up with a great soundtrack including THE SEEKER by THE WHO, and Terence Stamp himself singing COLOURS. This makes a great film, the best of the year and possibly ever!
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