The Limey

Wilson, a hard-edged English ex-con, lands in Los Angeles determined to uncover what happened to his daughter and to hold those responsible to account. He tears into the city’s criminal underworld, chasing leads that point to a figure known as Valentine and the network around him. The pursuit strands him in smoky bars, spare hotel rooms, and tense confrontations where trust is scarce. After surviving a brutal beating, a fall from a rooftop, and a dangerous chase along a winding mountain road, the Englishman keeps pressing forward, bending rules as he tries to piece together the full picture. The hunt tests his restraint and reveals how far grief can push a man toward vengeance.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, The Limey arrived in 1999 as a lean, hard edged crime drama built from an original screenplay by Lem Dobbs. The film pairs brisk urban photography with compact, character focused storytelling that favors mood over spectacle. Supporting players such as Lesley Ann Warren and Luis Guzmán add sharp counterpoints to Stamp's intensity, shaping a tight ensemble around the central pursuit.

The Limey grossed about 3.2 million worldwide on a 10 million budget, marking it as a modest performer that found attention mainly through festival play and critical praise rather than blockbuster traction. International sales offered little offset, and the campaign remained low profile.

It is remembered for Soderbergh's crisp editing and Terence Stamp's restrained, commanding performance as Wilson. The film uses overlapping timelines and spare Los Angeles locations to heighten tension, an approach that influenced later indie thrillers that blend memory with pursuit.

Critics praised its lean runtime and Stamp's cool menace, though some found the approach emotionally cool. The Limey probes grief, the ethics of revenge, and the toll violence takes on both pursuer and pursued, reframing a familiar LA crime tale as a tense, precise character study that sticks with you.