The Limey (1999)

The critic describes The Limey as a terse and atmospheric crime film with an unusually vivid sense of regret achieved through submerged textures and cross-cutting timelines. It functions as a perfect storm of technique, intuition, and personal taste that opens a vortex of longing and nostalgia for lost cinematic waves.

The critic sees The Limey as a clever and meaningful homage to fractured late-'60s classics like Point Blank and Petulia that scrambles basic genre elements into something fresh and formally exciting. It edges into a sad, rueful tone that lends poignancy to Stamp's quest and the stars' ebbing careers.

This low-budget crime movie is funny, touching and assured, milking the fish-out-of-water premise with imagination and wit. Stamp delivers a superb lead performance supported by strong turns from Fonda and others, with Soderbergh's narrative playfulness singled out as a highlight.

The critic describes Soderbergh's thriller as a compelling duel between two 1960s relics, with Terence Stamp as a vengeful Cockney ex-con and Peter Fonda as his sleazy target. He singles out the film's innovative use of clips from the 1967 film Poor Cow for flashbacks instead of recasting or aging the actor.

Soderbergh's latest is a fragmented, memory-like revenge tale that prioritises visual and linguistic play over straightforward narrative. The critic highlights the film's elegant framing and allusions while noting its capricious attention and the standout performance by Amelia Heinle.

The critic finds power in the film's oblique European-style approach and glimpses of the protagonist's past rather than its deadened morality or revenge plot. He singles out the use of clips from the young Terence Stamp in Poor Cow for emotional resonance.

The film is a stilted, slight and bizarre fish-out-of-water yarn that fails to balance tension and comedy. Stamp's performance and the casting of 1960s icons are highlights but cannot save the thinly plotted, overstylised result.

The review describes it as a sleek, stylish contemporary L.A. noir that offers familiar genre satisfactions while evoking the lost idealism of the 1960s through its casting and references. It singles out the adroit casting of 1960s icons and Ed Lachman’s lush photography.

The critic praises Soderbergh's ironic, visually inventive take on a basic revenge story centered on two aging criminals. He singles out the use of flashbacks from Terence Stamp's earlier work and the film's focus on retirement and mortality over action.

The review calls the film a piquant nostalgic throwback to 1960s noir style, with the best chance among Soderbergh's films of becoming a sentimental favorite. It singles out the revisiting of Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda as charismatic 1960s stars and the cool panache of the cinematography.

The review notes that Soderbergh turns a routine revenge thriller into an accomplished, contemplative character-driven drama about family and generational issues. It singles out the bravura acting ensemble and the impressive technical aspects like cinematography and editing, despite script weaknesses.

The critic praises Soderbergh's stylish direction, camera tricks, and time-shuffling for creating a seductive noir look but criticizes Lem Dobbs's flashy script and Terence Stamp's wooden performance as the vengeful ex-con Wilson.