With THE LIMEY, director Steven Soderbergh has crafted a stylish revenge thriller that also contains a refreshing sense of humor. Wilson (Terence Stamp), a tough English ex-con, travels to Los Angeles to avenge his daughter's death, which he is convinced was not accidental. After meeting Ed (Luis Guzmán), a friend of his daughter's who sent him a letter informing him of her passing, he finds out about her affair with Terry Valentine (Peter Fonda), a drug-dealing, money-laundering record producer, and begins to hunt him down. Partnered with Ed as well as Elaine (Lesley Ann Warren), his daughter's former voice coach, Wilson encounters a near-fatal beating, is thrown from a building window, survives a dangerous car chase, and battles an army of L.A.'s toughest criminals. Soderbergh's follow-up to the critically beloved OUT OF SIGHT finds him in similar neo-noir waters, but this time he utilizes atypical editing and narrative technique for the film's entirety. In a striking move, he ingeniously incorporates footage of Stamp as a young man in Ken Loach's 1967 film POOR COW for truly realistic flashbacks. As the fuming Wilson--a hell-bent, white-haired avenging angel--Stamp proves, once again, to be a truly magnetic screen presence.
A dazzling revenge thriller set in the sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles, THE LIMEY follows a recently paroled Englishman, Wilson, who has traveled to America to investigate his daughter's tragic death. When he learns of her relationship with a powerful music producer, Terry Valentine, he embarks on a violent journey in order to exact revenge. Director Steven Soderbergh uses a striking editing style to add a deeper dimension to the proceedings. The result is a visually arresting motion picture that features another unforgettable performance from Terence Stamp.
Theatrical release: October 8, 1999.
The footage of young Terence Stamp is taken from Ken Loach's 1967 film POOR COW. Director Steven Soderbergh said that had he not gotten the rights to the film, he probably wouldn't have made THE LIMEY.
Luis Guzmán also appeared in Soderbergh's TRAFFIC and OUT OF SIGHT.
Steven Soderbergh told USA Today in January 2001, "I didn't ever want to make a movie with this kind of fractured narrative again. It was driving me insane."
In one scene Peter Fonda is watching George Clooney on ACCESS HOLLYWOOD; Clooney starred in Soderbergh's previous film, OUT OF SIGHT.
Entertainment Weekly named THE LIMEY the fifth-best video of 2000.
Excerpt: "Tell me about Jenny."--Wilson (Terence Stamp)
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Single Side - Dual Layer
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Letterbox - 1.78
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - English
Additional Release Material:
Featurette
Isolated Audio Track: Score
Trailers:
1. Original Theatrical Trailer
2. TV Spots/Previews
Audio Commentary:
1. Steven Soderbergh - Director, Lem Dobbs - Writer
2. Terrence Stamp, Peter Fonda - Stars
Text/Photo Galleries:
Production Notes
Biographies: Cast & Crew
Filmographies: Cast & Crew
Additional Text: Theater Specifications
Costume Designer
Louise Frogley: Costume Designer, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (2005)
Director of Photography
Ed Lachman: Director of Photography
Production Designer
Gary Frutkoff: Production Designer
Additional Music/Songs
Pete Townshend: Musician/"The Who"
Review 1:
"...A strangely moving vision....Not to be missed..." -- 4 out of 5 Stars
Source: Premiere
p.100 04/01/2000
Review 2:
"...THE LIMEY stands out as prime film-making..."
Source: Total Film
p.102 10/01/2000
Review 3:
"...[Stamp] carries the movie....A stylish, hard-edged melodrama..."
Source: Movieline's Hollywood Life
p.32 10/01/1999
Review 4:
"...A sleek, stylish contemporary L.A. noir, a solid genre film....All aspects of the film contribute toward making it a sophisticated entertainment of considerable subtlety..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.C6 10/08/1999
Review 5:
"...A mesmerizing mood piece..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.145 11/11/1999
Review 6:
"...Stamp remains blisteringly focused....For his part, Stamp probably has his best role since his own '60s heyday..."
Source: USA Today
p.9E 10/08/1999