Review of The Limey (1999) by Ryan D — 04 Dec 2004

I just created a list of my favorite directors, and suprisingly, [b]Steve Soderbergh[/b] didn't make the top 10. I'm not sure why, since I thoroughly enjoy most of his films (with the exception of the overrated [i]Sex, Lies, and[/i] [i]Videotape[/i]), even [i]The Underneath[/i], which a lot of people hated. As much as I love his films, as I'm watching them I never really contemplate the [i]direction[/i], per se. Maybe that's one of Soderbergh's strengths: rather than making films that make a big show of his directorial prowess, he allows his films to just BE.

[i][b]The Limey[/b][/i] is one of my favorite Soderbergh movies (second only to [i]Solaris[/i]). It is a slick, well-paced (under 90 minutes) revenge film that includes an ending with real emotional heft. [b]Terrance Stamp[/b] is Wilson, a Brit with a thick, thick cockney accent [Soderbergh obviously finds this particular accent very entertaining, since he forced it on [b]Don Cheadle[/b] in [i]Ocean's 11[/i]] who has just been released from prison. Wilson flies to the states in order to find out the mystery behind the death of his adult daughter, Jenny, who was recently murdered. His search leads him to the Hollywood party scene, in particular to the home and activities of Terry Valentine ([b]Peter Fonda[/b]), a wealthy music producer who Jenny had been dating at the time she was murdered.

Wilson is horribly out of place in L.A. Not only is his accent thicker than any one person's in the whole of [i]Trainspotting[/i], he has been incarcerated for several years, and has therefore been rendered socially inept. But still, he manages to get sh** done. This is not an action movie, really. The character motivations behind Jenny's murder and her father's desire to solve the mystery play more of a part in the film's narrative flow than action does.

As usual, Soderbergh works with [b]Peter Andrews[/b], his favorite cinematographer (actually Soderbergh himself, working under a pseudonym), and he manages to incorporate several different looks using varying film stocks with varying speeds. I am consistently amazed with Soderbergh's technical proficiency, especially considering his modest budgets. [i][Case in point: In the very beginning of the film, there is a shot of a plane flying overhead that pans down to Wilson walking around a seedy motel. You can tell that Soderbergh thought the overhead air traffic was visually interesting and would help add to his recurring airplane motif, and tried to time his shot just right, so he could capture the passing airliner and segue directly into his establishing shot of Wilson. A lesser director wouldn't have bothered with the plane, or would have added it in digitally, but not Soderbergh. He knows what he wants and goes after it.][/i] Also, I have never seen a director handle flashbacks as fluidly as Soderbergh; they add to the story without ever being confusing or distracting.

[i]The Limey[/i] is essentially a story about a man's love for his daughter, and how that love knows no bounds. It is also a film about redemption. This same man realizes that his life has negatively influenced his daughter's and wants desperately to make amends. Wilson is a fascinating, complex character, although his past is relatively unexplored. The thing with Soderbergh is, even though you may not know the backstory of every character in his films, you can be certain that every character HAS a backstory, and that Soderbergh would expound on these characters if queried. He is a filmmaker at the top of his game, answering to no one, and deserving a fair amount of respect. [i]The Limey[/i] is one of his best films.