The Limey (1999)

An extremely volatile and dangerous Englishman goes to Los Angeles to find the man he considers responsible for his daughter's death.

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writer:

Lem Dobbs

Stars:

Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Terence Stamp	...	Wilson
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Elaine
Luis Guzmán	...	Eduardo Roel (as Luis Guzman)
Barry Newman	...	Jim Avery
Joe Dallesandro	...	Uncle John (as Joe Dallessandro)
Nicky Katt	...	Stacy the Hitman
Peter Fonda	...	Terry Valentine
Amelia Heinle	...	Adhara
Melissa George	...	Jennifer 'Jenny' Wilson
William Lucking	...	Warehouse Foreman
Matthew Kimbrough	...	Tom Johannson
John Robotham	...	Rick (Valentine's Bodyguard)
Steve Heinze	...	Larry (Valentine's Bodyguard)
Nancy Lenehan	...	Lady on Plane
Wayne Pére	...	Pool Hall Creep (as Wayne Péré)

Storyline

An ex-con, fresh out of prison, goes to L.A. to try to learn who murdered his daughter. However, he quickly finds that he is completely out of place with no understanding of the culture he finds. His investigations are helped by another ex-con. Together they learn that his daughter had been having an affair with a record producer, who is presently having an affair with another young woman. An aging actress, who also knew his daughter, forces him to look at his own failures as a father. The movie does focus on the drama of the situation and the inter-relationships of the characters and seldom slips into an action piece.

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Plot Keywords:

investigation | actress | death | cigarette smoking | hired killer | 

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Taglines:

Vengeance knows no boundaries.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

Vengar la sangre

Filming Locations:

Big Sur, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£66,119 (UK) (10 December 1999)

Gross:

$3,193,102 (USA) (28 January 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artisan Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The musical cue during the car chase contains a sample of the drum track from the song Squib Cakes by Tower of Power.

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Quotes

Head DEA Agent: There's one thing I don't understand. The thing I don't understand is every motherfuckin' word you're saying.

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Connections

Referenced in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Magic Carpet Ride"
Written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve
Performed by Steppenwolf
Published by MCA-Duchess Music Corporation o/b/o
Itself and Kings Road Music (BMI)
Courtesy of Dunhill
Under license from Universal Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Decent Low-Key Revenge Story

For modern-day revenge movie, this is unusually low-key and pretty good. It's nothing super but it sneaks up on you. It might bore you, but it might not:. It's really hard to say.

If you enjoy a character study by an interesting actor (Terrence Stamp) you might like this. But, beware, it has its slow moments. What it is, is simply another revenge tale, so often told but so often fun to watch. This one is about a British criminal (Stamp) getting out of jail, finding out that something bad had happened to his daughter in Los Angeles, and going for the man (Peter Fonda) he feels is responsible for that.

There is a bit too much flashback in here, so you have to be prepared to put up with that. Of note, the filmmakers used actual film footage from a 1967 film of Stamp to show him in his younger days.

What I did really enjoy was Stamp's vocabulary and the interesting looks on his face. The supporting cast also adds nicely to this story, particularly Barry Newman, who plays Fonda's bodyguard. There isn't a lot of action in here but when it does occur, it's pretty intense.