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THE LIMEY Send This Review to a Friend
The strength of director Steven Soderbergh's "The Limey" lies primarily in the performance of seasoned actor Terence Stamp, who plays an ex-con from Britain with a score to settle in the United States. His daughter has been killed in Los Angeles, and he wants to know why and who's responsible. Stamp brings a determination to the role in the long tradition of film characters who set out as loners on a mission of vengeance and are primed to succeed no matter what the odds and the dangers. In the part of Wilson, the actor is unflappably tough as he encounters Peter Fonda as the crime boss Valentine and others whom he must vanquish.
Soderbergh cleverly introduces clips from the 1967 film "Poor Cow," in which Stamp starred, to show Wilson in his youth. Although the film is unrelated, we get to see how attractive the young Stamp was. He still is, albeit more than 30 years later. In other respects, Soderbergh outsmarts himself in trying to be creative. He flips back and forth in time so much and so repetitively that after a while one can get the feeling that he is simply trying to pad what is essentially a very slender story. The result is too arty by far.
The film could have been more effective with a tighter, more direct approach. Yet it is still worthwhile because of Stamp's stamp. An Artisan Entertainment release.
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