Blimey! Terence Stamp, in a role that shrieks Sean Connery*, is just out of U.K. prison and in L.A. seeking revenge on the man he holds responsible for the death of his 20-yr-old daughter, a girl he barely knew. But first he has to find the guy. The film comes tricked out with barely banked violence and just enough story for director Steven Soderbergh to play around with after he finally established his mainstream bona fides via OUT OF SIGHT/’98 after a decade of money losing arty films. (Oddly, SIGHT saved a lot of careers withoout actually making any money at the time.) And play he does as the tale is so familiar, Soderbergh overworks editing & continuity tricks, hoping to liven up the old tropes. Instead, the more he manipulates, the more he’s trapped, like Br’er Rabbit and the Tar Baby. Peter Fonda, fresh off his prestige comeback in ULEE’S GOLD/’98, is clever casting as the aging record producer who’s moved on to a new young girlfriend, while the other main supporting types (Lesley Ann Warren, Barry Newman, Joe Dallesandro) come loaded with so much where-are-they-now vibes Quentin Tarantino might have blushed. Soderbergh smartly plays the first big action shootout in ‘noises off’ fashion, with the killings ‘out of sight.’ (A self-referential gag?) But later, isn't yet able to keep unwanted laughs out of the big Bang-Bang climax. Still, the film moves well, looks handsome, and has a satisfying wrap up. Plus, commercial & critical redemption just around the corner since his next was ERIN BROCKOVICH/’00.
DOUBLE-BILL: *Apparently, Michael Caine was the original casting idea, which makes sense since Mike Hodges’ GET CARTER/’71 a likely influence.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: The old clips of a young Terence Stamp worked in here are from POOR COW/’67.
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