I’ve fallen behind on my watchlists for one reason or another, but here I am, on the last day of July, and I figured it was time to try and do some catching-up on stuff that was about to leave The Criterion Channel if nothing else. So, that means two movies and two mornings’ worth of reviews. First up: Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey. Coming in at just under 90 minutes and from a director whose work I generally enjoy, I got a crime thriller with Terrence Stamp in the lead. I’ve liked this guy since Superman II. Has he had the lead in anything before? I don’t know, but I suspect he has. I just can’t think of one off the top of my head.
Also, Peter Fonda is here as a sketchy guy who talks about living through the 60s and riding a motorcycle. Can I pretend his character is just his Easy Rider character gone wrong?
Wilson (Stamp) is an English criminal, released from prison on bereavement who travels to Los Angeles to look into the death of his daughter Jenny (Melissa George, seen only in silent flashbacks). Officially, Jenny died in a car accident. But thanks to Jenny’s friend Eduardo (Luis Guzman), Wilson suspects there was foul play involved. With help from Eduardo and Jenny’s other friend Elaine (Lesley Ann Warren), he’s got a good idea who might be responsible: record producer and sketchy guy Terry Valentine (Fonda). Wilson could probably just go shoot the guy as he seems to be smart enough to get around Valentine’s security, but he wants something more: he wants Valentine to admit what he did and why.
That’s the basics of the plot, and the movie doesn’t really go much beyond that. Valentine is involved in some dirty business, and he has some contacts with underworld types, but Wilson’s desired revenge is something that he might not be planning on. There are other moving parts, but in the end, Wilson may have his revenge. You know, if other people can understand whatever he’s saying with his English working-class slang.
A good Steven Soderbergh movie is one that is often described as technically flawless but somehow emotionally cold. That could describe The Limey to a tee. Stamp’s Wilson looks furious, but it rarely comes out in his voice or anyone else’s. Wilson wants revenge, but he never seems to be feeling much grief, and neither do other characters. Stamp and Fonda are both talented actors who give their characters a bit of an edge, but it’s just that: a bit. The plot here is incredibly simple in many ways, with what few twists given to the narrative being there for little more than a way to maybe extend the story to feature length, and this is a short movie as it is. It’s not a bad plot, but also isn’t a particularly complex one with particularly deep characters.
That said, it is still a fun movie in many ways. There are some nice eccentric conversations, and the way Soderbergh’s movie is edited together bounces around and repeats shots and bits of dialogue to create a bit more impact. The mystery may not be much of a mystery, but Soderbergh sets it up like one, and that actually makes for some good tension. I don’t want to suggest the basically simple story here isn’t tense or anything. It actually is, and that’s what Soderbergh brings to the story that makes The Limey worth a look. However much substance the movie has, it more than makes up for it with style.
Grade: B-
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