The Limits of Control: DVD Review
The Limits of Control
Released by Universal Home Entertainment
Rating: M
Cast: Isaach De Bankolé, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Gael
García Bernal, Hiam Abbass, Paz de la Huerta, Alex Descas,
John Hurt
A Lone Man (Isaach De Bankolé) is a criminal hitman, hired
to do a job in Spain.
Through a series of encounters with pivotal contacts, he begins to
edge closer to his target - but the nearer he gets to the hit, the
more tangled the web becomes - who can he trust?
The Limits of Control is not your average film- with hardly any
dialogue throughout and only the minimal soundtrack, it's not going
to appeal to everyone.
Even the sparse dialogue is repeated throughout the film at various
junctures and every precious word which is spoken, is pivotal,
looped and recycled.
The idiosyncracies and actions of the Lone Man are also looped -
each day begins with him doing his tai chi before demanding two
espressos in separate cups at cafes in each locale where he finds
himself.
Each meeting starts the same way with a contact asking him "You
don't speak Spanish, right?" before passing him a matchbox with a
piece of paper inside. As he pieces together the puzzles of where
he's meant to go, we learn at the same time he does.
However, it's not really about the plot - this is a Jim Jarmusch
exercise in cool and minimalism - as well as cameos - the best
being Bill Murray (but to reveal much about that would spoil the
film.)
John Hurt and Tilda Swinton appear in scenes, espouse some
philosophy with our hitman before disappearing into the distance.
But if The Limits of Control is about the characters, much of the
surroundings help to frame some kind of narrative and context -
Spain has never looked quite so beautiful as it does on the big
screen here.
Those looking for a coherent plot with a solid explanation of
what's going on will be sorely disappointed - but once you settle
into the groove and the journey of the story, you are soon sucked
in. The looped and repetitive nature of some of the scenes lulls
you into a false sense of security as you wait for the jigsaw
pieces to fall into place.
The Limits of Control is a diverse piece of film-making - and
remains a puzzling yet interesting watch on DVD.
Extras: Jim Jarmusch montage, Behind Jim Jarmusch - a look at Jarmusch's way of filming.
Rating: 6/10
