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Director: Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight and King of the Hill)
Cast: Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, Lesley Ann Warren, and Luis Guzman
Rating: R
Run Time: 90 minutes

THE SKINNY
British ex-con seeks revenge against the man involved in his daughter’s death.

THE REVIEW
Frankly, I had expected more from this small film that stars Terence Stamp (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) as a British ex-con named Wilson, who travels from England to Los Angeles seeking revenge against the people responsible for the recent untimely death of his daughter, Jenny. The Limey, tightly written by Lem Dobbs (Dark City) and well directed by Steven Soderbergh, is generating rave reviews from the professional critics, who, in describing this film have been using such words as “dazzling,” “original,” and “slyly funny.” While there are some amusing moments in this film, The Limey is far from dazzling and not all that original. In the in end, however, I would certainly recommend this film - just don’t expect greatness.

Borrowing loosely from the Pulp Fiction school of non-linear storytelling, The Limey’s plot unfolds in a somewhat disjointed manner and is continuously interrupted by flashforwards and the recurrence of several of the film’s sequences. Used sparingly, this technique could have proven effective. Instead, I began to feel that maybe The Limey had been too tightly written, resulting in the film’s editors having to stretch barely an hour’s worth of footage into a full-length movie. Further, brief exchanges of witty dialogue emerge throughout the film, only to be sacrificed for the sake of preserving the succinctness of the script, leaving the audience teased.

Along with Stamp, The Limey features another well cast film veteran, Peter Fonda (Ulee’s Gold and Easy Rider). He plays a made-in-the-60’s music honcho named Terry Valentine, who becomes the target of Wilson’s vengeance. In addition, there are several surprisingly strong performances from supporting members of the cast: the omnipresent Luis Guzman (if, in recent years, you’ve seen any television police drama or movie with a Hispanic role in it, then you’ve probably seen Luis Guzman) plays Ed, a companion of Jenny’s who is befriended by Wilson; Amelia Heinle (Liar’s Poker) plays Adhara, Valentine’s trophy girlfriend; and Nicky Katt (One True Thing, Dazed and Confused, and A Time to Kill) plays a terrifically cynical lowlife hired gun.

By: Craig Ettinger

HIGHLIGHTS
*If his small parts as General Zod (Superman II) and Sir Larry Wildman (Wall Street) left you wanting to see more of Terrance Stamp in a “tough guy” role, then The Limey will at least partially satisfy you.
*A small, but nonetheless well-acted part played by the aforementioned Amelia Heinle (a Denise Richards and Rebecca Geyhart hybrid). She can also be seen in the Everclear video “I Will Buy You a New World.”

LOWLIGHTS
*A purposeless, forgettable character played by Lesley Ann Warren.
*Not enough of the clever dialogue.
*Not enough of Amelia Heinle.