The Limey

Infobox_Film
name = The Limey


caption = Theatrical poster
director = Steven Soderbergh
producer = John Hardy Scott Kramer
writer = Lem Dobbs
starring = Terence Stamp Lesley Ann Warren Luis Guzmán
Peter Fonda Barry Newman Nicky Katt
music = Cliff Martinez
cinematography = Edward Lachman
editing = Sarah Flack
distributor = Artisan Entertainment
released = October 8 1999 (U.S.A.)
runtime = 89 minutes
country = United States
language = English
amg_id = 1:180111
imdb_id = 0165854|

"The Limey" (1999) is an American revenge neo-noir crime film, directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs. The film features Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Peter Fonda, among others. [imdb title| id=0165854| title=The Limey.]

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.

Plot

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 laundering money for drug dealers.

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.

Background

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. [ [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19991008/REVIEWS/910080302/1023 Ebert, Roger] . "Chicago Sun-Times," film review, October 8, 1999.] Also he has Ed, played by Luis Guzmán, wear t-shirts with famous historical political figures on them. At the beginning it is Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, in the middle of the film it is the Argentine Che Guevara, and towards the end it is the Chinese Mao Zedong.

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 echoes the relationship between the literary characters found in Miguel Cervantes' novel "Don Quixote": Don Quixote de la Mancha (Wilson) and Sancho Panza (Ed).

Editing

Film editor Sarah Flack utilizes a variety of unorthodox editing techniques in "The Limey". 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.

Filming locations

Filming locations include: Big Sur and Los Angeles, California.

Cast

* 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
* Steve Heinze as Larry (Valentine's Bodyguard)
* Nancy Lenehan as Lady on plane
* Bill Duke as DEA Commanding Officer

Critical reception

Edward Guthmann, film critic of the "San Francisco Chronicle", praised the direction, and film's 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." [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/10/08/DD74877.DTL&type=movies Guthmann, Edward] . The "San Francisco Chronicle," film review, page C-3, October 8, 1999.]

The film critic for "Variety" magazine, Emanuel Levy, lauded the crime drama and liked the direction of the picture, the acting, and the screenplay, yet thought the film "lacks secondary characters and subplots." He wrote, "The Limey," Steven Soderbergh's new crime picture, continues the helmer's artistic renewal, evident last year in the superbly realized "Out of Sight." Pic's most interesting element is the positioning of two icons of 1960s cinema, the very British Terence Stamp and the very American Peter Fonda, as longtime enemies in what's basically a routine revenge thriller... [and] one has no problem praising the bravura acting of the entire ensemble and the pic's impressive technical aspects. Warren, Guzman and Barry Newman give maturely restrained performances in line with the film's dominant texture. A supporting turn by Joe Dallessandro, Andy Warhol's and Paul Morrissey's regular, accentuates pic's reflexive nature as a commentary on a bygone era of filmmaking." [ [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117499755.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 Levy, Emanuel] . "Variety," film review, May 18, 1999. Last accessed: December 25, 2007.]

Critic Janet Maslin wrote of Terence Stamp's work, "Stamp plays the title role furiously, with single-minded intensity, wild blue eyes and a stentorian roar shown off in the film's early moments...Glimpses of young, dreamily beautiful Stamp and his no less imposing latter-day presence are used by Soderbergh with touching efficacy." [ [http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/100899limey-film-review.html Maslin, Janet] . "The New York Times," Art Section, "The Limey": Touring Show-Business Royalty and Its Underworld," film review, October 8, 1999. Last accessed: December 25, 2007.]

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 91% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on seventy-six reviews. [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/limey/ "The Limey"] at Rotten Tomatoes. Last accessed: June 20 2008.]

Distribution

"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 film did poorly at the box office. Its first week's gross was $187,122 (17 screens) and the total receipts for the run were $3,193,102. The film was in wide release for seventeen weeks (115 days). In its widest release the film was featured in 105 theaters across the country. [ [http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1999/LIMEY.php The Numbers] box office data. Last accessed: December 4, 2007.]

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.

* "The Seeker" by The Who:People tend to hate me:‘cause I never smile.:As I ransack their homes:they wanna shake my hands...

Awards

Won
* 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.

Noted 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.
* Wilson: You tell him, you tell him I'm coming. Tell him I'm f*cking coming!

References

Notes

External links

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* [http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/21323/20060304-0000/www.retortmagazine.com/content/12.04/id_literature_schneider.htm "The Limey"] essay comparing the film to "The Third Man"