Review of The Limits of Control (2009) by Patrick L — 12 Dec 2009

This Jim Jarmusch film witnesses the steps taken by a hitman, traveling through Spain, to find and kill his quarry. The film shouts poignancy through a bullhorn by having the hitman say almost nothing through the film, perform Tai Chi and interact with a series of unusual characters each one giving him a matchbox containing a series of numbers that he then swallows.

In the end, a very African looking Isaach De Bankole kills a very waspy looking executive (played by Bill Murray) in the middle of a desert hideaway. And then cut. We are left to speculate that this murder, accompanied by statements about the arbitrariness of the world, is perhaps some sort of revenge by the world's downtrodden against the callous amoral executive and is somehow an allegory for developing/developed world relations.

Bill Murray makes some suggestive comments at the end that might support this interpretation. If that's the punchline its not enough to justify such a long slow film. De Bankole's character is intriguing but the plot is old-hat and boring and there is barely any modulation in pace.

A poor and pretentious film.