inbetween

Stephen Soderbergh describes The Limey (1999, dir. Soderbergh) as a movie about memory, although one could just as easily describe it as a movie about fantasy.

The movie opens with cuts of Wilson (played by Terrance Stamp) on an airplane, in a hotel room, and in a taxi. The editing is disjointed, although Wilson is always shot from the same angle on the plane.

Jump cuts are used throughout the movie to reinforce the feeling of fantasy. By deliberatly removing the mundane portions of tense scenes and breaking the continuity of movement, the viewer's imagination is left fill in the details. Some scenes are presented intentionally lacking in continuity, to give us the impression that the entire story is taking place inside Wilson's imagination.

Terry Valentine gives a speech to his girlfriend near the begining of the movie:

Did you ever dream about a place you never really recall being to before? A place that maybe only exists in your imagination? Some place far away, half remembered when you wake up. When you were there, though, you knew the language. You knew your way around. That was the sixties.

The cinematography was unbalanced. In the begining of the movie, there are some beautiful, artistic shots (Wilson walking infront of a brick wall, ala Reservoir Dogs). As the movie progresses, the cinematography becomes dull and boring, almost predictable. There are a few interesting shots near the end of the movie, but not enough to compensate for the middle's deficiency.

I kept thinking of Terrance Stamp's other films, and how they contrast with this performance. As General Zod in Superman II (1988, dir. Richard Lester) he plays a very strong, very evil supervillan bent on conquest. In The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) he plays an equally powerful transexual. Wilson, on the other hand, is a second rate criminal with a soft spot. Wilson isn't nearly as strong, or as scary as Bernadette.

I'm not sure I liked it. The editing got a little too gimicky, and Valentine's speech gave away the point of the movie without any subtlety. In another scene, a semi-crooked cop lays a portion of the plot and gives Wilson all the information he needs, reminding me of a bad Star Trek: The Next Generation episode. Such obvious expository scenes remove the challenge and enjoyment from the movie, and make it seem like the director and writer couldn't think of a better way to get the characters into the next scene.