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, Peter Fonda, Lesley Ann Warren

1 win & 9 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:

revenge | watching television | englishman | prison | record producer | 

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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:

The Astral House, 2210 Astral Place, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$187,122, 10 October 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,193,102, 30 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

Throughout the movie Ed, Luis Guzmán is seen wearing shirts with famous political figures on them. At the beginning it is the Ayatollah Khomeini, in the middle it is Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, and towards the end it is Zedong Mao.

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Quotes

Wilson: How you doin' then? All right, are you? Now look, squire, you're the guv'nor here, I can see that. I'm in your manor now. So there's no need to get your knickers in a twist. Whatever this bollocks is that's going down between you and that slag Valentine, it's got nothing to do with me. I couldn't care less. Alright, mate? Let me explain. When I was in prison - second time - uh, no, telling a lie, third stretch, yeah, third, third - there was this screw what really had it in for me, and that ...
[...]

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Connections

Features Access Hollywood (1996)

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Soundtracks

Sitar Song
Written and Performed by Danny Saber
Published by One-Eyed Egyptian Music/EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI)
Courtesy of Strict?

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.