The Limey is a 1999 American crime film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs. The film features Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Barry Newman, Nicky Katt, and Peter Fonda. The plot concerns an English career criminal (Stamp) who travels to the United States to investigate the recent suspicious death of his daughter. It was filmed on location in Los Angeles and Big Sur.
Critical reception was positive, but the film was not a financial success upon release.
Plot
An Englishman named Wilson travels to Los Angeles to investigate the death of his daughter, Jenny. She was reported to have died in a car accident but Wilson suspects murder. Recently released from a British prison after nine years, he is a hardened man. Arriving in Los Angeles, he meets Jenny's friends Eduardo and Elaine and questions them. Finding they pass his initial inquiry, he elicits their help in investigating Jenny's death. One suspect who emerges is Jenny's boyfriend Terry Valentine, a wealthy record producer. Valentine was briefly involved in drug trafficking, managed through his security consultant, Avery. Wilson locates a warehouse used by the drug trafficker and asks about Valentine. They insult his daughter and beat him. Wilson returns to the warehouse, shooting dead all but one of the employees.
Wilson and Eduardo sneak into a party held at Valentine's house. Once there, Wilson searches for evidence of Valentine's involvement. He finds and steals a picture of Jenny. Attracting suspicion from Avery, Wilson is accosted by a guard whom he head-butts and throws over a railing to his death. Wilson and Eduardo flee, only to be chased by Avery, who rams their car and shoots at them. He and Eduardo escape but not before Avery hears Eduardo call out Wilson's name.
Back with Elaine and Eduardo, Wilson reminisces about his earlier life with his daughter, whom he remembers only as a child. Worried her father would be sent away to prison, she would often threaten to call the police whenever she found evidence of the crimes he was involved in or planning. He recalls she had never followed through on her threats because she loved him and it eventually became a sad joke between them. However, his life of crime put a strain on his family. He ended up in prison after the men he was involved with sold him out to the police.
Avery hires a hitman, Stacy, to track down and kill Wilson. Stacy is prevented from making the hit by agents of the DEA, who have been monitoring Valentine. Wilson and Elaine are then taken to meet the head agent, who makes it clear the DEA is after the dealer who used Valentine to launder drug money, and that the agents do not intend to interfere with Wilson's personal mission. He lets Wilson see their file on Valentine, including a photograph and address of a second home in Big Sur. Meanwhile, Stacy and his partner, angry at their beating at the hands of the DEA agents, plot to double cross Avery.
Avery moves Valentine to the house in Big Sur. That night, Wilson enters the grounds. Avery's guards shoot an intruder who turns out to be Stacy and engages in a shootout with his partner, Uncle John, resulting in several deaths and also fatally wounding Avery. Valentine takes Avery's gun away from him and leaves him to die as he flees to the beach with Wilson in pursuit. Betrayed, Avery takes out his spare gun and aims it at Wilson but lowers it, allowing him to pursue Valentine. Valentine shoots at Wilson then falls and breaks his ankle. He continues to shoot at the approaching Wilson but misses and after running out of bullets, he begs for his life. Valentine tells Wilson that Jenny found out about his drug ties and threatened to call the police on him (reminding Wilson of what she had done as a child to him) and in his attempt to stop her Valentine banged Jenny against a wall, accidentally killing her. In an effort to deflect attention from Valentine, Avery staged the car accident. Wilson knows Jenny would never have turned Valentine in. He turns away, allowing Valentine to live. Wilson makes his farewells to Elaine and Eduardo and returns to London.
A younger Wilson plays the folk, love song Colours on the guitar, while a woman strokes his hair.