The Limits of Control (2009)

Director:

Jim Jarmusch

Writer:

Jim Jarmusch (written by)

Release Date:

28 May 2009 (Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

For every way in, there is another way out.

Plot:

The story of a mysterious loner, a stranger in the process of completing a criminal job. |

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Female Frontal Nudity | Nude Wearing Glasses | Woman Wearing Glasses

Cast

Isaach De Bankolé	...	Lone Man
Alex Descas	...	Creole
Jean-François Stévenin	...	French
Óscar Jaenada	...	Waiter
Luis Tosar	...	Violin
Paz de la Huerta	...	Nude
Tilda Swinton	...	Blonde
Youki Kudoh	...	Molecules
John Hurt	...	Guitar
Gael García Bernal	...	Mexican
Hiam Abbass	...	Driver
Bill Murray	...	American
Héctor Colomé	...	Second American
María Isasi	...	Flamenco Club Waitress
Norma Yessenia Paladines	...	Flight Attendant

Also Known As:

No Limits No Control (USA) (closing credits title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic nudity and some language.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English | Spanish | Hebrew | French | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/12 | Japan:PG12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Finland:K-11 | Mexico:B15 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva)

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Focus Features

Trivia:

Isaach De Bankolé exchanges matchboxes throughout the film with 'Le Boxeur' (The Boxer) written on them, the name of his character in his other film White Material (2009).

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the Lone Man travels from Madrid to Sevilla, he enters a S 100 AVE train set. But the interior shots are clearly done in a S 103 (Velaro E), a totally different - and much newer - type of train.

Quotes:

Mexican: Sometimes for me, the reflection is far more present than the thing being reflected.

Movie Connections:

References La vie de bohème (1992)

Soundtrack:

Farewell

Brilliant cinematography, but not much else.

I really enjoy some of Jim Jarmusch's work (Night on Earth, Mystery Train and Dead Man), and I thought that I would like this film based on the story (or lack thereof) and the soundtrack, however, I was quite disappointed. The film is very slow, and while this can work and be beneficial to the plot, I think that it dragged on far too long in this instance. There was a lot going on visually, which made up for the slowness to a degree, but it seemed as if there was too much time to take it all in. I felt myself noticing the same things over and over in various shots/scenes, because there wasn't anything else to do besides look, which made me feel like I was staring at the film more so than actually watching it.

As for the soundtrack, I am a fan of some of the artists on it (Boris, Sunn, Earth, etc.), which is part of the reason I wanted to see this film initially. Because these bands can have a very slow, droney sound, I was very interested to see how the mood of the music would work with the tone of the film. I expected the two to compliment each other, but instead, the soundtrack just made everything drag on. Because the film progressed as such a slow pace, I assumed that it was leading up to a grand climax, but the film's culmination barely stood out.

I will say that I admired the film from a technical aspect, and I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces from Jarmusch's earlier work, but I don't think I'll ever watch it again.