THE LIMEY A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Seeing a half-dozen guys lined up like statues outside the rich American's front door, Wilson (Terence Stamp) figures that they must be bodyguards. Having just arrived in this country after a 9-year holiday in her Majesty's prison, he's not used to LA ways. The men, of course, are not bodyguards, but valets, a prerequisite for parties of the rich and famous in Southern California.
THE LIMEY is a stylish thriller by director Steven Soderbergh. From his original, groundbreaking SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE to last year's acclaimed OUT OF SIGHT, Soderbergh has proved that he's a director who has a knack for creating fascinating movies just slightly out of the mainstream.
THE LIMEY continues in Soderbergh's avant-garde tradition. Featuring frequent jump cuts and fast action interlaced with moments of solitude, the movie has a dazzlingly impressive style. Layering as many as a half-dozen time sequences on top of each other, the film is a tribute to the director's talent since the movie remains lucid and easy to follow no matter how often the time changes.
Wilson has come to America to investigate the death of his daughter, Jennifer (Melissa George), who supposedly died in a car accident. He suspects foul play after learning of her death from a letter an American ex-con, Ed (Luis Guzmán), sent him. It seems Ed and Jennifer met in an acting class -- remember it's LA, where everyone aspires to hit it big in show biz. Lesley Ann Warren plays Jennifer's voice coach.
When we first meet Wilson, a crook way past his prime, he acts like he might not have it in him anymore. He soon disabuses us of that notion as he starts whacking guys left and right on the way to discovering the truth about his daughter's death.
With a pensive and introspective demeanor and sporadically explosive actions, Stamp gives his character an intellectual intensity. Wilson's a force to be reckoned with, even if he has trouble understanding the mores and habits of the natives.
Although his accent is intelligible, his sentences are so full of cockney slang that he sometimes seems to be speaking gibberish. One black cop listens to one of Wilson's particularly long and hyperactive speeches and just stares at him. "There is one thing I don't understand," he tells Wilson. "The one thing. One #@$% you've said." Lem Dobbs's script is full of wry, biting humor.
Soon, the paths all lead to Valentine (Peter Fonda, who was so wonderful in ULEE'S GOLD), his daughter's last boyfriend. Valentine, a music producer with criminal connections, owns the big home in the hills with the aforementioned valets.
Famous back in the 60s, Valentine explains that era to his current conquest, a woman less than half his age. "The 60s was just 66 and early 67, that's all it was," he says in an explanation that goes right over her head.
Ed, who accompanies Wilson as they crash Valentine's party, looks out from the view high atop the smoggy LA mountains. "You could see the sea out there, if you could see it," Ed remarks, not used to such lavish perks.
You can say one thing about those wealthy Angelenos. They certainly have class. When Wilson kills a guy during the party in order to frighten Valentine, the police and the firemen end up swarming all over the place. During the investigations, uniformed waiters offer everyone drinks in elegant, long-stemmed crystal goblets.
THE LIMEY runs a fast 1:28. It is rated R for violence and language and would be fine for teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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