IMDb > The Limits of Control (2009)
The Limits of Control
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The Limits of Control (2009) More at IMDbPro »

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The Limits of Control (2009) -- The story of a mysterious loner (De Bankolé), a stranger, whose activities remain meticulously outside the law. He is in the process of completing a job, yet he trusts no one, and his objectives are not initially divulged.
The Limits of Control (2009) -- Clip: I used my imagination
The Limits of Control (2009) -- The story of a mysterious loner (De Bankolé), a stranger, whose activities remain meticulously outside the law. He is in the process of completing a job, yet he trusts no one, and his objectives are not initially divulged.
The Limits of Control (2009) -- Trailer for the crime drama from Director, Jim Jarmusch
The Limits of Control (2009) -- MoviesTrailer.org - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
6.4/10   1,976 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Jim Jarmusch (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Limits of Control on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 May 2009 (Germany) more
Genre:
Tagline:
For every way in, there is another way out.
Plot:
The story of a mysterious loner, a stranger in the process of completing a criminal job. | full synopsis
User Comments:
Post-Modernist Fun more (33 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Isaach De Bankolé ... Lone Man
Alex Descas ... Creole
Jean-François Stévenin ... French
Óscar Jaenada ... Waiter

Luis Tosar ... Violin

Paz de la Huerta ... Nude

Tilda Swinton ... Blonde
Youki Kudoh ... Molecules

John Hurt ... Guitar

Gael García Bernal ... Mexican
Hiam Abbass ... Driver

Bill Murray ... American
Héctor Colomé ... Second American
María Isasi ... Flamenco Club Waitress
Norma Yessenia Paladines ... Flight Attendant
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
No Limits No Control (USA) (closing credits title)
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MPAA:
Rated R for graphic nudity and some language.
Runtime:
116 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Isaach De Bankolé exchanges matchboxes throughout the film with 'Le Boxeur' (The Boxer) written on them, the name of his character in his other film White Material (2009). more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When the Lone Man has passed the last picture in the museum during his first visit, the camera can be seen slightly reflected in the glass of the picture frame. more
Quotes:
American: Is this your twisted idea of revenge for something?
Lone Man: No. Revenge is useless.
more
Movie Connections:
References The Lady from Shanghai (1947) more
Soundtrack:
Farewell more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Is "The Limits of Control" based on a novel?
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31 out of 52 people found the following comment useful.
Post-Modernist Fun, 11 May 2009
8/10
Author: GeneSiskel (robert.e.olsen@gmail.com) from Washington, DC, United States

"The Limits of Control" is a post-modernist exercise. It doesn't tell a story. (There are apparently no stories worth telling on a planet defined by a singer as dirt.) Rather, the movie borrows the plot lines and dialogue of film noir, the preoccupations of French art criticism, and other semi-art cinema fare, and recombines them in a heavily ironic and lushly sensual setting, (1) to draw attention to itself and (2) to comment on dreams, art, and the making of art.

Does it take itself seriously? Not really. Is it fun to watch? Of course. Who wouldn't enjoy watching a reclining nude woman with a revolver try to get her man (who responds "never while I'm working")? A laconic buff control freak in service to wise guys methodically inspect, and then eat, the coded messages that arrive at his patio table in matchboxes? A series of go-betweens solemnly ask the central character, in various languages, "Do you speak Spanish?" before launching into their wild-eyed explications in English?

The only part of the movie I found disappointing was the ending, a paean to flights of imagination wrapped in a faux action film climax. Bill Murray is simply unconvincing as a bellicose bad guy and the resolution is all too neat. But until then the dreams are great, the cinematography is first-rate, and the acting is top-drawer.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Limits of Control (2009)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Worst Jarmusch Film to date? chinomovies
Not For Anyone Because It Isn't About Anything consciousnessbliss
Limits of Control vs Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen cubicledweller
The matchbox code Celric
Lone diamond in the cup of espresso? jazzbruce
watch at 2x speed (maybe it's a good silent film) senobrm
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