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Information about The Limey

The Limey

Theatrical Poster
Directed bySteven Soderbergh
Produced byJohn Hardy
Scott Kramer
Written byLem Dobbs
StarringTerence Stamp
Lesley Ann Warren
Luis Guzmán
Peter Fonda
Barry Newman
Nicky Katt
Music byCliff Martinez
CinematographyEdward Lachman
Editing bySarah Flack
Distributed byArtisan Entertainment
Release date(s)October 8, 1999
(USA, limited)
Running time89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
All Movie Guide profile
|/ IMDb profile
The Limey is an American revenge neo-noir crime drama, directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs.[1]

The film stars Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, and Peter Fonda.

Terence Stamp stars as Wilson, an English parolee fresh out of prison, who travels to Los Angeles to investigate the suspicious death of his daughter who was killed in an auto accident.

Plot

As soon as Wilson crosses the pond he discovers that he's like a "fish out of water" in the alien Californian landscape, where kids sell guns on the playground and the cops work around the law to get the crooks.

His suspicions soon fall upon his daughter's former boyfriend, celebrity rock music producer Terry Valentine (Peter Fonda), who is laundering money for drug dealers.

Wilson gets help from his late daughter's friends: Eduardo Roel (Luis Guzmán) (an ex-con) and Elaine (Lesley Ann Warren), his daughter's acting teacher. Together they put the pieces together to solve his daughter's murder.

Wilson wants revenge.

Background

Directing

Enlarge picture
Terence Stamp
Steven Soderbergh uses an odd flashback sequence. It includes scenes from another Terence Stamp movie, Ken Loach's 1967 directorial debut Poor Cow. Soderbergh uses the scene to create a hazy back story.[2]

Also he has Ed, played by Luis Guzmán, wear t-shirts with famous historical political figures on them. At the beginning it is Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini, in the middle of the film it is the Argentine Che Guevara, and towards the end it is the Chinese Mao Tse Tung.

Wilson speaks in a Cockney rhyming slang, and in so doing is alternately comical and incomprehensible.

The title refers to the American slang Limey, which refers to Britons.

The relationship between Wilson and Ed echos the relationship between the literary characters found in Miguel Cervantes' novel Don Quixote: Don Quixote de la Mancha (Wilson) and Sancho Panza (Ed).

Editing

The movie utilizes a variety of unorthodox editing techniques. The film frequently features dialogue and background sound from previous or future scenes juxtaposed with a current scene.

Dialogue from one conversation, for instance, may find itself dispersed throughout the film, articulated for the first time long after its chronological moment has passed, as a sort of narrative flashback superimposed over later conversation, to complete a character's thought or punctuate a character's emphasis.

Also, background sound may be disjointed in the film and shifted to enhance another scene by suggesting continuation, similarity, or dissimilarity, For example, Wilson is in a hotel room, and turns on the shower, and Wilson is in a plane looking out the window, and the shower can be heard.

Filming locations

Filming locations include: Big Sur and Los Angeles, California.

Exhibition and box office

Tagline: Vengeance knows no boundaries.

The Limey was first presented at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 1999. It was also featured in various film festivals including: the Toronto Film Festival, the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, and the Hong Kong International Film Festival.

The film was released on October 8, 1999 in a limited basis.

The film did poorly at the box office. Its first week's gross was $187,122 (17 screens) and the total receipts for the run were $3,193,102. The film was in wide release for seventeen weeks (115 days).

In its widest release the film was featured in 105 theatres across the country.[3]

Critical reception

The film was well received by film critics. Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle praised the direction and screenplay, and wrote, "The Limey...is a first-rate crime thriller and further proof that Soderbergh is one of our great contemporary film stylists. Taut, imaginative and complex, this is one of the best American films of the year and a wonderful antidote to the numbing sameness of [some] movies."[4]

Currently, the film has a 90% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on seventy-seven reviews.[5]

Cast and ratings

Ratings
Argentina: 16
Australia: MA
Canada (Ontario): 18A
Chile: 14
Finland: K-16
France: U
Germany: 16
Hong Kong: II-B
Iceland: 16
New Zealand: R13
Norway: 15
Portugal: M/12
South Korea: 18
Sweden: 15
United Kingdom: 18
United States: R

Music

The first song heard in The Limey is "The Seeker," performed by the English rock group The Who. During the 1960s one of The Who's managers was Chris Stamp, Terence Stamp's brother.
  • "The Seeker" by The Who

People tend to hate me
‘cause I never smile.
As I ransack their homes
they wanna shake my hands...

Awards

Wins Nominations
  • Independent Spirit Awards: Independent Spirit Award; Best Director, Steven Soderbergh; Best Feature, John Hardy and Scott Kramer; Best Male Lead, Terence Stamp; Best Screenplay, Lem Dobbs; Best Supporting Male, Luis Guzmán; 2000.
  • Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards: Sierra Award; Best Actor, Terence Stamp; 2000.

Quotes

  • Wilson: I'm looking for a different kind of satisfaction.
  • Ed: Do you understand half the shit he says?
Elaine: No, but I know what he means.
  • Wilson: Can't be too careful nowadays, y'know? Lot of "tea leaves" about, know what I mean?
Warehouse Foreman: Excuse me?
Wilson: Tea leaves... thieves.
  • 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.

Footnotes

1. ^ The Limey at the Internet Movie Database.
2. ^ Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times, film review, October 8, 1999.
3. ^ The Numbers box office data.
4. ^ Guthmann, Edward. The San Francisco Chronicle, film review, page C-3, October 8, 1999.
5. ^ The Limey at Rotten Tomatoes. Last accessed: February 12, 2007.

External links

 •  • [ e]
Films by Steven Soderbergh
sex, lies, and videotape (1989) • Kafka (1991) • King of the Hill (1993) • Underneath (1995) • Gray's Anatomy (1996) • Schizopolis (1996) • Out of Sight (1998) • The Limey (1999) • Erin Brockovich (2000) • Traffic (2000) • Ocean's Eleven (2001) • Full Frontal (2002) • Solaris (2002) • Eros (Equilibrium) (2004) • Ocean's Twelve (2004) • Bubble (2006) • The Good German (2006) • Ocean's Thirteen (2007) • Guerrilla (2008)
Steven Soderbergh

Birth name Steven Andrew Soderbergh
Born January 14 1963 (1963--) (age 44)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
..... Click the link for more information.
John Hardy can refer to:
  • "John Hardy" (song), an American folk song about a murderer
  • John Hardy (composer), British composer
  • John Hardy (football player), Player in the NFL
  • John Hardy (geneticist), British human geneticist and molecular biologist

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Lem Dobbs (born Lem Kitaj on December 24, 1959 in Oxford, England) is an American screenwriter. He is best known for the film The Limey. Dobbs' chosen name is taken from the character played by Humphrey Bogart in Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
..... Click the link for more information.
Terence Stamp

Born July 22 1938 (1938--) (age 69)
Stepney, London, England

Terence Henry Stamp (born July 22, 1938[1]) is an English actor.
..... Click the link for more information.
Lesley Ann Warren

Born July 16 1946 (1946--) (age 61)
New York, New York
Died

Spouse(s) Jon Peters
..... Click the link for more information.
Luis Guzmán

Born July 28 1956 (1956--) (age 51)
Cayey, Puerto Rico
Died

Spouse(s) Angelita Galarza-Guzmán

Official site
..... Click the link for more information.
Peter Fonda

Birth name Peter Henry Fonda
Born January 23 1940 (1940--) (age 67)
New York, New York,  United States

Spouse(s)
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Barry Newman

Birth name Barry Foster Newman
Born November 7 1938 (1938--) (age 69)
Boston, Massachusetts
Died

Years active
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Nicky Katt

Born May 11 1970 (1970--) (age 37)
South Dakota, United States

Nicholas Lee Katt[1]
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Cliff Martinez (born February 5, 1954 in Bronx, New York), is an American film score composer and former drummer for Captain Beefheart, The Dickies, The Weirdos, Lydia Lunch and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984-1986).
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Artisan Entertainment was a privately held independent American movie studio that has been owned by Lions Gate Entertainment since 2003. At the time of its acquisition Artisan had a library of thousands of films developed through acquisition, original production, and
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    San Ernesto, answering prayers for rain.
  • Also see October 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • French Republican Calendar - Citrouille (Pumpkin) Day, seventeenth day in the Month of Vendémiaire
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    Birth name Steven Andrew Soderbergh
    Born January 14 1963 (1963--) (age 44)
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    Lem Dobbs (born Lem Kitaj on December 24, 1959 in Oxford, England) is an American screenwriter. He is best known for the film The Limey. Dobbs' chosen name is taken from the character played by Humphrey Bogart in Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
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    Terence Stamp

    Born July 22 1938 (1938--) (age 69)
    Stepney, London, England

    Terence Henry Stamp (born July 22, 1938[1]) is an English actor.
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    Lesley Ann Warren

    Born July 16 1946 (1946--) (age 61)
    New York, New York
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    Spouse(s) Jon Peters
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    Luis Guzmán

    Born July 28 1956 (1956--) (age 51)
    Cayey, Puerto Rico
    Died

    Spouse(s) Angelita Galarza-Guzmán

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    Terence Stamp

    Born July 22 1938 (1938--) (age 69)
    Stepney, London, England

    Terence Henry Stamp (born July 22, 1938[1]) is an English actor.
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