Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as OUT OF SIGHT, but few movies are.
Review: This is a brilliantly realized film. Anyone confused by the flashback structure used to GREAT effect here should go watch 'Armageddon' again or something. By showing us how Wilson has changed so little since his daughter was a young girl, Soderbergh really adds a deep sense of poignancy....the footage from Stamp's earlier film blends in very nice. And Luiz Guzman rules! He has some wonderful moments here that I hope other directors/casting agents will notice. Challenge yourself with this movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant direction and performances
Review: I debated over whether or not to give this movie four or five stars-- it seems to me that 5 stars is an overused rating, but I so enjoyed it that in the end I couldn't give it anything but. Now, I must warn that this movie is not for everyone. If non-linear stories confuse you, just forget it, you'll hate "The Limey." It's totally out of order, and the plot is simplistic anyway. But this movie isn't so much telling you a story as it is telling you about the characters. Which is why I would recommend it if you, like me, enjoy character studies. "The Limey" is *not* an action film, it's a character study of a career criminal who will soon be too old to keep up with his lifestyle. And my God, the performances, particularly by Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda are absolutely incredible. Of course, the movie rests on Stamp's performance, being the focus of the film, and he delivers in spades. But not to be overlooked is Fonda, who as something of a doppleganger to Stamp's character, Wilson, is every bit Stamp's equal. Steven Soderbergh's direction is unsurprisingly excellent. Altogether another great movie of 1999.
Rating:
Summary: a masterpiece
Review: terrence stamp is the best actor ever. cockneys are cool. The Clash are cockneys. i like the Clash. this movie has a cockney acting in it. i like this movie
Rating:
Summary: Modern Noir
Review: You just don't see this type of movie any more; however, no one, but Steven Soderbergh would have the guts to use so many flashbacks and flashforwards, and use them so effectively. This is thinking man's Noir. And Terence Stamp is the archetypal career criminal here, but he brings an underlying sensitivity to the role. The search for his daughter's killer is also a search for himself. Peter Fonda is fascinating as the music mogul. Again, not a one-dimensional performance. Sometimes you hate the guy and sometimes you feel sorry for him. These type of films rarely get made, but they DO get made, and they're worth searching for.
Rating:
Summary: Memory and Mayhem
Review: This film is very clever. The flashbacks and flashforwards give an interesting spin on the issues of memory and experience. It's apt due to the nature of the story and the nature of the leads: two sixties icons in real life who play aging countercultural types who took different paths. It is very reminiscent of Point Blank. Some would say that it is a ripoff, but I don't care. More movies ought to take their cues from Point Blank.Normally, I don't like gimmickry and devices in movies and books, but it was not for naught in the Limey. The entire cast delivers an excellent performance. Stamp is magnetic in his combination of Britishness and brutishness. The minor hoods are amusing. The climax is exciting, too. Soderberg and cinematography were well deployed to create excitement and tension.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing, Disjointed and Confused
Review: I was really disappointed with this movie. Terence Stamp seemedunable to maintain a cockney accent at the same time as putting anyexpression into his voice at all, Peter Fonda was effectively in cameo mode and the constant flashbacks, flash forwards and fantasy scenes were indecipherable from each other. Confused - you will be. The references to cockney rhyming slang were over played and simply unrealistic. When you start picking things like this up in a movie you know that it just isn't working. On the plus side some of the supporting cast turned in good performances and the key to events - revealed at the end - was sound. This however was not enough to save the film, just because a product is bad does not mean you can pretend it is artistic.
Rating: 
Summary: The Limey
Review: One of the worst movies I have ever seen. Peter Fonda's performance was horrible and so was the story. Tedious and boring.
Rating:
Summary: Retro masterpiece
Review: Imagine an edgy 1960s European director shooting a cool film noir in fatuous, banal, sunny 1990s Los Angeles. A movie-lover's movie, The Limey is for those of us who have been waiting to exhale after so many decades of Hollywood junk. I'd lost hope that anyone had the genius to direct, act, shoot, or edit like this anymore; but Soderbergh has restored my faith.
Rating:
Summary: Some films should never be given brains.
Review: This film plowed on with the same boorish tenacity as its main character. Basically it is a pseudo action movie that the director, in Dr. Frankenstein fashion, attempted to infuse with a brain. It would have been better without. I can sum the whole plot up in a few words: cockney career criminal attempts to make good on bad parentage by killing all the bad guys in his dead daughter's past. The flashbacks are artsy and overdone, and the story is mindless. Definitely wait for the fire sale on this one, you will never watch it more than once, if even that.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully shot and directed but disappointing overall
Review: I was really looking forward to seeing this film. I love film noir, I loved the idea of this film when I heard about it, and I think Steve Soderbergh is a great director. I have to admit, though, that I never really got into this film. It looks great, the premise is intriguing, and Terrence Stamp makes a great leading man, but I can't really recommend the film overall. It's worth seeing for the innovative camera work, editing, and cinematography but that's about it in my opinion.
|
