The Limey
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| The Limey | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical Poster |
|
| Directed by | Steven Soderbergh |
| Produced by | John Hardy Scott Kramer |
| Written by | Lem Dobbs |
| Starring | Terence Stamp Lesley Ann Warren Luis Guzmán Peter Fonda Barry Newman Nicky Katt |
| Music by | Cliff Martinez |
| Cinematography | Edward Lachman |
| Editing by | Sarah Flack |
| Distributed by | Artisan Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | October 8, 1999 (USA, limited) |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Limey is a revenge neo-noir crime drama, directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs.
The film stars Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, and Peter Fonda.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Terence Stamp stars as Wilson, an English parolee fresh out of prison, who travels to Los Angeles to investigate the suspicious death of his daughter who was killed in an auto accident.
As soon as Wilson crosses the pond he discovers that he's like a "fish out of water" in the alien Californian landscape, where kids sell guns on the playground and the cops work around the law to get the crooks.
His suspicions soon fall upon his daughter's former boyfriend, celebrity rock music producer Terry Valentine (Peter Fonda), who is doing money laundry for the mob.
Wilson gets help from his late daughter's friends: Eduardo Roel (Luis Guzmán) (an ex-con) and Elaine (Lesley Ann Warren), his daughter's acting teacher. Together they put the pieces together to solve his daughter's murder.
Wilson wants revenge.
[edit] Background
[edit] Directing
Steven Soderbergh uses an odd flashback sequence. It includes scenes from another Terence Stamp movie, Ken Loach's 1967 directorial debut Poor Cow. Soderbergh uses the scene to create a hazy back story.[2]
Also he has Ed, played by Luis Guzmán, wear t-shirts with famous historical political figures on them. At the beginning it's Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, in the middle of the film it's the Argentine Che Guevara, and towards the end it's the Chinese Mao Tse Tung.
Wilson speaks in a Cockney rhyming slang, and in so doing is alternately comical and incomprehensible.
The title refers to the American slang Limey, which refers to Britons.
The relationship between Wilson and Ed echos the relationship between the literary characters found in Miguel Cervantes' novel Don Quixote: Don Quixote de la Mancha (Wilson) and Sancho Panza (Ed).
[edit] Editing
The movie utilizes a variety of unorthodox editing techniques. The film frequently features dialogue and background sound from previous or future scenes juxtaposed with a current scene.
Dialogue from one conversation, for instance, may find itself dispersed throughout the film, articulated for the first time long after its chronological moment has passed, as a sort of narrative flashback superimposed over later conversation, to complete a character's thought or punctuate a character's emphasis.
Also, background sound may be disjointed in the film and shifted to enhance another scene by suggesting continuation, similarity, or dissimilarity, For example, Wilson is in a hotel room, and turns on the shower, and Wilson is in a plane looking out the window, and the shower can be heard.
[edit] Filming locations
Filming locations include: Big Sur and Los Angeles, California.
[edit] Exhibition and box office
Tagline: Vengeance knows no boundaries.
The Limey was first presented at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 1999. It was also featured in various film festivals including: the Toronto Film Festival, the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, and the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
The film was released on October 8, 1999 in a limited basis.
The first week's gross was $187,122 (17 screens) and the total receipts for the run were $3,193,102 (it's budget was about $9 million, making the film a box office bomb. The film was in wide release for seventeen weeks (115 days). In its widest release the film was featured in 105 theatres across the country.[3]
[edit] Critical reception
The film was well received by film critics. Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle praised the direction and screenplay, and wrote, "The Limey...is a first-rate crime thriller and further proof that Soderbergh is one of our great contemporary film stylists. Taut, imaginative and complex, this is one of the best American films of the year and a wonderful antidote to the numbing sameness of [some] movies."[4]
Currently, the film has a 90% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on seventy-seven reviews.[5]
[edit] Cast and ratings
| Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Argentina: | 16 |
| Australia: | MA |
| Canada (Ontario): | 18A |
| Chile: | 14 |
| Finland: | K-16 |
| France: | U |
| Germany: | 16 |
| Hong Kong: | II-B |
| Iceland: | 16 |
| New Zealand: | R13 |
| Norway: | 15 |
| Portugal: | M/12 |
| South Korea: | 18 |
| Sweden: | 15 |
| United Kingdom: | 18 |
| United States: | R |
- Terence Stamp as Wilson
- Lesley Ann Warren as Elaine
- Luis Guzmán as Eduardo Roel
- Barry Newman as Jim Avery
- Joe Dallesandro as Uncle John
- Nicky Katt as Stacy, the Hitman
- Peter Fonda as Terry Valentine
- Amelia Heinle as Adhara
- Melissa George as Jennifer 'Jenny' Wilson
- William Lucking as Warehouse Foreman
- Matthew Kimbrough as Tom Johannson
- John Robotham as Rick (Valentine's Bodyguard)
- Steve Heinze as Larry (Valentine's Bodyguard)
- Nancy Lenehan as Lady on plane
- Wayne Pére as Pool Hall Creep
- John Cothran Jr. as DEA
- Ousaun Elam as DEA
- Dwayne McGee as DEA
- Brian Bennet as DEA
- Allan Graf as Gordon
- Carl Ciarfalio as Warehouse Thug
[edit] Music
The first song heard in The Limey is "The Seeker," performed by the English rock group The Who. During the 1960s one of The Who's managers was Chris Stamp, Terence Stamp's brother.
- People tend to hate me
- ‘cause I never smile.
- As I ransack their homes
- they wanna shake my hands...
- ~The Seeker by the The Who.
[edit] Awards
Wins
- Satellite Awards: Golden Satellite Award; Best Drama Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Terence Stamp; 2000.
Nominations
- Independent Spirit Awards: Independent Spirit Award; Best Director, Steven Soderbergh; Best Feature, John Hardy and Scott Kramer; Best Male Lead, Terence Stamp; Best Screenplay, Lem Dobbs; Best Supporting Male, Luis Guzmán; 2000.
- Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards: Sierra Award; Best Actor, Terence Stamp; 2000.
[edit] Quotes
- Wilson: I'm looking for a different kind of satisfaction.
- Ed: Do you understand half the shit he says?
- Elaine: No, but I know what he means.
- Wilson: Can't be too careful nowadays, y'know? Lot of "tea leaves" about, know what I mean?
- Warehouse Foreman: Excuse me?
- Wilson: Tea leaves... thieves.
- Wilson: How you doin' then? All right, are you? Now look, squire, you're the guv'nor here, I can see that. I'm in your manor now. So there's no need to get your knickers in a twist.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ The Limey at the Internet Movie Database film data base.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun Times, film review, October 8, 1999.
- ^ The Numbers box office data.
- ^ Guthmann, Edward. The San Francisco Chronicle, film review, page C-3, October 8, 1999.
- ^ The Limey at Rotten Tomatoes. Last accessed: February 12, 2007.
[edit] External links
- The Limey at Rotten Tomatoes.
- CriticSociety film review.
| Films by Steven Soderbergh |
|---|
|
sex, lies, and videotape (1989) | Kafka (1991) | King of the Hill (1993) | Underneath (1995) | Gray's Anatomy (1996) | Schizopolis (1996) | Out of Sight (1998) | The Limey (1999) | Erin Brockovich (2000) | Traffic (2000) | Ocean's Eleven (2001) | Full Frontal (2002) | Solaris (2002) | Eros (Equilibrium) (2004) | Ocean's Twelve (2004) | Bubble (2006) | The Good German (2006) | Guerrilla (2007) | Ocean's Thirteen (2007) |
