|
Starring Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Fonda, Luis Guzman, Barry Newman, Amelia
Heinle, Nicky Katt. Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Dave Wilson (Stamp) has just gotten out of jail in England, only to learn that his beautiful daughter Jenny died in a fiery car accident in L.A. while supposedly drunk and on drugs. But Wilson doesn't believe that his daughter would touch drugs, her being so dead set against her father's thieving and other bad habits. He sets off to L.A. to track down those responsible for her death, and exact revenge. He meets a friend of Jenny's named Ed Rowe (Luis Guzman), who met her in acting class, and doesn't believe she touched anything stronger than a little pot or a little booze. Wilson tracks down the place where Jenny had it out with some big and ugly drug dealers, she fearing her music producer boyfriend Valentine (Fonda) was somehow mixed up in their business. Dave forces Valentine's address out of one of them, but is beaten up by several of the beefy thugs who work for the place. But after being thrown out into the street, he drags his butt back into the place and shoots everyone but one. Valentine is protected by lawyer and "security" man Avery (Newman), who informs Valentine of the "gangland" hit. Valentine is more than a bit worried, and has Avery hire a street punk to put a hit on the mysterious Englishman. Wilson hooks up with a voice coach and friend of Jenny's, Elaine (Warren), who at first thinks him just a testosterone-fueled thug, but eventually believes he's right about Valentine, and tries to help Wilson in his quest. Like Soderbergh's quite good Out Of Sight from last year, The Limey is a stylish, pulpish crime caper and character study. This is not a manipulative Death Wish style revenge flick, with a Charlie-Bronson-granite-like killing machine avenging his daughter's death. Throughout the film, Wilson remembers the good times with his family and daughter, what a sweet and loving girl she was, and how powerless she felt in trying to stop him from his life of crime. He seems to be taking revenge out of guilt, feeling guilty he wasn't there for her for most of her growing up, and wasn't there for her when she took up with the shady producer. The film utilizes two interesting devices. Firstly, the story is told utilizing several parallel timelines, where things are happening in real time, as well as through his memory of events on the plane as he's leaving the U.S. Secondly, it uses footage from the 1967 Ken Loach film Poor Cow starring Terence Stamp as Dave Wilson, a small-time thief who had a wife and young daugther, and is eventually caught by police and carted off to jail. The Limey uses scenes from Poor Cow to show Wilson's relationship with his family, and the effect his thieving had on the family, especially his young daughter, who threatened to turn her dad in, but never did or would. The script is artfully written, with few snappy one-liners but many excellent scenes and exchanges. The punk who is hired to kill Wilson while out trying to find him makes several hilarious observations about a film set he happens upon. And when Wilson meets a DEA agent, he tries to snow him with a hilarious speech, and they eventually reach a satisfying understanding. The music soundtrack employs both great 60's rock songs, and a piano and string compositions which add to the mood. Terence Stamp is sensational as the ex-con who starts out blinded by anger, but comes to see the effect his life has had on his daughter's tragedy. It is great to see Lesley Ann Warren again, who is quite good as the loyal friend who at first dislikes Wilson, but comes to understand his regret and love for his daughter. Barry Newman plays a bit against character as the amoral lawyer and is quite believable. Fonda and Guzman are also good. The ending is a bit of a surprise, but fitting to the story before it. If you enjoyed Out Of Sight, then you are likely to enjoy The Limey.  
|