The Limey

Released 1999
Stars Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzman
Directed by Steven Soderbergh

The movie is a visceral thriller - a stylish take on the revenge picture. Call it the art film version of Death Wish. There really isn't anything deeper or more meaningful going on here. However, done right, as it is here, this kind of film can be immensely entertaining and satisfying. When Stamp's Wilson finds out that his daughter, Jenny, has been killed by American drug dealers, he crosses the Atlantic and goes on a one-man killing spree, knocking off one target after another as he gets close to the bulls-eye: Jenny's lover, pop music producer Terry Valentine (Peter Fonda, playing the sleazy part with relish).

The Limey possesses several traits that allow it to work better than the average revenge thriller. The first in Stamp's performance, which blazes with intensity and energy. The actor's work here isn't just scene-stealing, it's movie-stealing. The second is Soderbergh's style, which includes flashbacks and flashforwards, with dialogue from one scene often bleeding into its successor. The third is the brilliant, snappy dialogue which often sounds scripted, but is delightful nevertheless. And the fourth is the sense of macabre, offbeat humor that suffuses the picture, reminding us not to take anything that transpires too seriously.

Summary by James Berardinelli

This is a cool, stylish thriller. I liked the editing tricks, which really make the film. They may have been overused a bit, but they were fresh and fun. I really liked the ending. SPOILER ALERT. He had a bigger influence on Jenny than he had thought and was touched. How could he blame Valentine for overreacting to the game she had played with himself? Valentine didn't know she was reaching out to him and trying to prevent the man she loved from ending up like the other man she loved, her dad. -- Bill Alward