An extremely volatile and dangerous Englishman goes to Los Angeles to find the man he considers responsible for his daughter's death.An extremely volatile and dangerous Englishman goes to Los Angeles to find the man he considers responsible for his daughter's death.An extremely volatile and dangerous Englishman goes to Los Angeles to find the man he considers responsible for his daughter's death.
- Awards
- 1 win & 9 nominations
- Ed
- (as Luis Guzman)
- Uncle John
- (as Joe Dallessandro)
- Pool Hall Creep
- (as Wayne Péré)
- DEA Guy
- (as John Cothran Jr.)
- DEA Guy
- (as Ousan Elam)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFootage from the 1967 film Poor Cow (1967) (Ken Loach's directorial debut) is featured as flashbacks of Wilson (Terence Stamp) with his baby daughter and wife.
- GoofsWhen Wilson and Elaine return to her apartment after she finishes work on the film set, in the first two shots of them driving into the garage, Wilson's car has no damage on the side from the previous car chase sequence. However, in the rest of the scene, where the car is parked, the damage on the side of the car is there again.
- Quotes
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. Whatever this bollocks is that's going down between you and that slag Valentine, it's got nothing to do with me. I couldn't care less. Alright, mate? Let me explain. When I was in prison - second time - uh, no, telling a lie, third stretch, yeah, third, third - there was this screw what really had it in for me, and that geezer was top of my list. Two years after I got sprung, I sees him in Holland Park. He's sittin' on a bench feedin' bloody pigeons. There was no-one about, I could've gone up behind him and snapped his fuckin' neck, *wallop!* But I left it. I could've knobbled him, but I didn't. 'Cause what I thought I wanted wasn't what I wanted. What I thought I was thinkin' about was something else. I didn't give a toss. It didn't matter, see? This berk on the bench wasn't worth my time. It meant sod-all in the end, 'cause you gotta make a choice: when to do something, and when to let it go. When it matters, and when it don't. Bide your time. That's what prison teaches you, if nothing else. Bide your time, and everything becomes clear, and you can act accordingly.
- ConnectionsEdited from Poor Cow (1967)
- SoundtracksThe Seeker
Performed by The Who
Written by Pete Townshend
Published by Windswept Pacific Songs o/b/o Towser Tunes, Inc./ABKCO Music, Inc./Fabulous Music Limited
Courtesy of MCA Records/Polydor Limited
Under license from EMI Music Special Markets
Dave Wilson (the very good Terrence Stamp), a smart, intense criminal just released from prison heads to LA from London to look into the somewhat mysterious death of his daughter, who he barely knew. He believes she died at the hands of her boyfriend, legendary and majorly rich record producer Terry Valentine (Peter Fonda) and will not stop until he tracks him down for answers.
The plot here of avenging father seems pretty much lame and not that interesting or complicated at all, but maybe that is the point, not everything in life is extraordinary, in fact much of life is standard, simple and uneventful. But the plot does not so much drive this movie as do the characters. In a world of 16-year-old superstar models, actors and singers, it is totally refreshing to see a movie where the majority of characters are over 40, many over the sixty mark. Even the hitmen of this movie are past their prime. These criminal characters are not your typical stock characters of most crime films, some are regular Joes who happen to have chosen crime as their career aspirations and deal with the same problems as the typical 9 to 5 office worker. As the one hitman hired by Valentine's head security Avery (Barry Newman) says, "I embrace my lifestyle".
While the acting is top notch, especially Stamp, Fonda and Newman, the real star of the film is director, Soderbergh and especially cinematographer Ed Lachman. Soderbergh cuts so many different scenes back and forth with a flair that I have not experienced yet as with a character speaking in one scene and finishing the sentence in another. His use of flashbacks of a young Terrence Stamp incorporating Stamp's 1967 film, "Poor Cow", are not only genius but a great homage to the actor. Also when we first meet the Fonda character, the background music has lyrics that include "easy rider is a curse". Just great. He also seems to get amazing performances from his actors as he did with Clooney and Lopez in last years "Out of Sight". Fonda still riding high from 1997's "Ulee's Gold" does well with the character of Valentine, showing a very vulnerable, insecure and weak man who hides behind wealth and power. Stamp delivers an intense and powerful, yet totally focused, subtle and real performance that is very rare in this film genre. It is a memorable performance and character. Cinematographer, Lachman, does an amazing job with shots that are standard fare, but gives them a different angel that make them stand out such as a scene where Wilson tosses one of Valentine's body guards over a balcony into the canyon below. Your typical cinematographer would have focused on this. Instead Lachman has this scene in the far background while the main shot is of Valentine having a good time at his party feeling totally safe and relaxed in his multi-million dollar home.
So the bottom-line, is "The Limey" a great film, I don't think so. Did I love it, not really. Was I bored with it, no quite. I guess it captured my interest in a different and quiet way that most films don't and for that I recommend it. Also when was the last time you saw 70's semi-icons, Barry Newman (TV's 1974 Petrocelli), Leslie Ann Warren and once hunky Andy Warhol mainstay, Joe Dallesandro. Recommended.
- Joe Moretti
- Nov 26, 1999
- How long is The Limey?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Denizci
- Filming locations
- The Astral House, 2210 Astral Place, Los Angeles, California, USA(Terry Valentine's house)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $3,204,663
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $187,122
- Oct 10, 1999
- Gross worldwide
- $3,325,736
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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