The Limey follows Wilson, a tough English ex-con who travels to Los Angeles to avenge his daughter's death. Upon arrival, Wilson goes to task battling Valentine and an army of L.A.'s toughest criminals, hoping to find clues and piece together what happened. After surviving a near-death beating, getting thrown from a building and being chased down a dangerous mountain road, the Englishman decides to dole out some bodily harm of his own.
09 Dec The Limey (1999)
Proustian Out and Back
Soderbergh deserves respect, as much for his failures (‘Brokovich,’’Traffic’) as his successes (this, ‘Sight,’’Videotape’). When he experiments, it is with simultaneous layers of different kinds involving the eye, the mind, time, remembrance.
Here he works on small, intimate layers, small visions of the future (and possible futures), persistent large memories from the past. All is handed with a shifting perspective — the camera is nowhere because it is everywhere — you are not eavesdropping, the limelight is on you. Unless you insist on driving, this editing is mind-expanding — literally — because he places you all around simultaneously.
This is such a controlled little film, one wonders why Soderbergh is so irregular. I believe it is because he crafts his vision to the peculiar conditions of the narrative. He knows to replicate the last victory would be impossible (listen up Coppola!) so why try? Move on. He deserves as much respect, I believe, for the failures as well as solid gems like this.
Posted in 2001
Ted’s Evaluation — 3 of 3: Worth watching.
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