The Limey poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzman, Barry Newman ... see more see more... , Nicky Katt , Joe Dallesandro , Amelia Heinle , Melissa George , Bill Duke , Matthew Kimbrough

Two actors best known for their work in the late 1960s, Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda, star in The Limey, a drama in which a recently released felon contemplates the gulf between aging criminals like ... read more read more...himself and their modern counterparts. Wilson (Stamp) is a British career criminal who has been released after nine years in prison. He has learned that his daughter Jenny died under suspicious circumstances in Los Angeles, so he travels to America for the first time to find out what happened and who's responsible. With the help of an ex-con named Ed (Luis Guzman), Wilson discovers Jenny was romantically involved with Valentine (Fonda), a middle-aged record producer with a shady past and a fondness for young women. In hopes of getting the truth -- and getting to Valentine -- Wilson finds himself doing battle with some of the worst criminals to crawl from the underbelly of Los Angeles; along the way, he also meets Elaine (Lesley Ann Warren), an older actress who knew Jenny and reminds Wilson of how little he really did for his daughter while she was alive. Steven Soderbergh's first film after his commercial comeback with 1998's Out Of Sight, The Limey features, along with Stamp and Fonda, two other notable 60's actors in supporting roles, Barry Newman and Joe Dallesandro. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

75% liked it

10,299 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

79 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Release Date: October 8, 1999

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: February 20, 2001

Get It:

Stats: 747 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

The Limey The Limey The Limey The Limey The Limey The Limey Tell em I'm fuckin comin!!!! The Limey The Limey
Upload a Photo | View All The Limey Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (747)

  • fb1664868775
    October 27, 2011
    fb1664868775
    A minor work for Soderbergh but still a well crafted, entertaining one.
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    A very cool homage to the stylish thrillers of the late 60?s. Fonda and Stamp are great in it but for me Barry Newman stole the show with his car chase, a salute to his role in Vanishing Point. One of my more favourite Steven Soderbergh films.
  • MovieGeek13
    March 19, 2009
    MovieGeek13
    Tell me...tell me...tell me about Jenny. That quote is the heart of this story. It's not just a simple revenge thriller. I also loved the discontinuous editing style that grabbed your attention right from the beginning.
  • arashxak
    July 8, 2008
    arashxak
    Not your typical revenge flick, I liked it specially its ending
  • DrZeek
    June 25, 2008
    DrZeek
    Wilson: You tell him, you tell him I'm coming. Tell him I'm fucking coming!

    Very cool revenge movie, with a distinct editing style.

    Terence Stamp, best known as General Zod from Superman II, stars as Wilson, a career criminal, recently released from jail, and has come to Ameri... read moreca to find out why his daughter has died, believing it to be more than an accident. Stamp is great as an old man who has done his share of things in the past and is gonna do some more things before his time is up.

    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.

    The film also plays up his cockney accent, which, to me, is all kinds of cool.

    Ed: Do you understand half the shit he says?
    Elaine: No, but I know what he means.

    Peter Fonda is also here as Stamp's opposite and it's fun to see his reactions to this situations. He and his business are not used to dealing with this kind of stuff, so their reactions all seem very natural and real.

    The film also stars Luis Guzman as a friend of Wilson's daughter, who helps Wilson out, Barry Newman as Fonda's security adviser, Leslie Ann Warren as another former friend of Wilson's daughter, and Nicky Katt as a hitman.

    I pointed out the editing earlier, and it really elevates a standard revenge plot into a more cinematically entertaining experience. Director Stephen Soderbergh once again tries to experiment with his film for the better. It can be too different for some, but once you get into it, you can really enjoy it more.

    The soundtrack is also very classy and cool, with some classic rock mixed with a dark instrumental beat. There are also flashback scenes, using footage from one of Terence Stamp's earlier movies that blend very well into this movie, and that's pretty neat.

    The story is also made better by both Stamp and Fonda being given a number of moments to reflect on their lives and how they have developed into what they are currently, based on better times they have had in the past.

    Its a simple story made better by its style and actors.

    Wilson: Bide your time. That's what prison teaches you, if nothing else. Bide your time, and everything becomes clear, and you can act accordingly.
  • ironclad1609
    February 18, 2008
    ironclad1609
    Terence Stamp as Brit coming to the USA to avenge his daughter's death. While some of the editing and music choices remind of Steven Soderbergh other movies this still feels somewhat different. At times it seems to mistake cool with indifferent and calm with not engaging enough. ... read moreThat's not to say this thriller isn't interesting or not worth a look, it's simply not entirely en par with Out of Sight or Traffic and leaves the audience strangely indifferent. The ending is pretty good though.
  • rezpatriot
    January 27, 2008
    rezpatriot
    Slow film, with a noveleque story which flows through a father and gansters life. Entertaining.
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    October 23, 2007
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    One of Soderbergh's best. Stylish and cool, with a great performance from Terence Stamp.
  • 76Majikat
    August 13, 2007
    76Majikat
    A little overdone on the cockney rhymming slang I think, maybe this would have happened if he was speaking with someone in London, but I think the film pushed it slightly a little too much. Having said that I think Terrance Stamp looked good as a villain and the point of the fil... read morem as a revenge plot was a great potential for a film, but found the film a bit of an anti-climax

    VERDICT: Watchable but not brillient
  • stevetheman1236
    August 15, 2011
    stevetheman1236
    An exceptionally well-made revenge-thriller. The only thing better than its attractive performances is Soderbergh's fabulous direction. There is a great shot at the beginning where the camera pans to the right as a plane flies through the air and we come to stop on Terence Stamp ... read morewalking to his motel room. It's a wonderful shot.

View All The Limey Reviews

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
November 9, 2006
Emanuel Levy, Variety

The crimer suffers from a slim, underdeveloped script by Lem Dobbs (who also write Kafka), but benefits from Soderbergh's astute direction that posits two 1960s cinematic icons, Brit Terrence Stamp an... Full Review

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
February 21, 2004
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Those interested in more challenging work will find the film a unique meditation on the nature of Hollywood. Full Review

Liam Lacey
April 25, 2003
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

An apparently simple movie that demands and rewards a deeper look. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
June 18, 2002
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

A first-rate crime thriller and further proof that director Stephen Soderbergh is one of our great contemporary film stylists. Full Review

Jay Carr
January 1, 2000
Jay Carr, Boston Globe

All of its style can't altogether conceal that director Steven Soderbergh doesn't have as much to work with here.

Peter Rainer
January 1, 2000
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

The movie has lots of drive, and it keeps Stamp front and center almost continuously, even in flashbacks. Full Review

Susan Stark
January 1, 2000
Susan Stark, Detroit News

Stamp's fans from way back in Billy Budd days, as well as Priscilla's more recent converts, will savor every second of The Limey. Full Review

Jeff Millar
January 1, 2000
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle

Much of the entertainment comes from the film's autumnal mood, and watching Fonda and Stamp work their characters. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Stamp has done some wonderful work in a long and varied career. This is not his best film, but it may be the most forceful acting he has ever accomplished. Full Review

Mike Clark
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today

This is one of those movies in which pacing, dialogue and the right actors enliven a familiar story.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Ocean's Eleven
    Ocean's Eleven (57%)
  • Sexy Beast
    Sexy Beast (69%)
  • The Horseman
    The Horseman (0%)
  • Collateral
    Collateral (50%)

More Movies like The Limey

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Limey : Watch Free on TV

The Limey Trivia

  • Who plays the main character in The Limey (1998)?  Answer »
  • "The Limey" by Steven Soderbergh (1999) used footage of another film starring Terrence Stamp. Which one?  Answer »
  • ) In Yes Man, this two-time Oscar-nominated veteran British Actor, famous for his performances in Superman II, The Limey and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, plays Terrence, the leader of the self-help seminar. Who is the actor?  Answer »
  • in the film "Across the Universe" which of the main actors was an actual limey?  Answer »
More The Limey Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Limey. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add The Limey to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View The Limey News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

debmm Skin by debmm
42 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins