CrimeDramaMysteryThriller

The Limits of Control

- For every way in, there is another way out.

A mysterious stranger works outside the law and keeps his objectives hidden, trusting no one. While his demeanor is paradoxically focused and dreamlike all at once, he embarks on a journey that not only takes him across Spain, but also through his own consciousness.

Release Date : 2009-05-01

Language :ArabicEnglishFrenchJapaneseSpanish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : PointBlank FilmsEntertainment FarmFocus Features

Production Country : JapanUnited States of America

Alternative Titles : No Limits No Control

Cast

Character Name : Lone Man

Original Name : Isaach de Bankolé

Gender : Male

Character Name : Creole

Original Name : Alex Descas

Gender : Male

Character Name : French

Original Name : Jean-François Stévenin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Waiter

Original Name : Óscar Jaenada

Gender : Male

Character Name : Violin

Original Name : Luis Tosar

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nude

Original Name : Paz de la Huerta

Gender : Female

Character Name : Blonde

Original Name : Tilda Swinton

Gender : Female

Character Name : Molecules

Original Name : 工藤夕貴

Gender : Female

Character Name : Guitar

Original Name : John Hurt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mexican

Original Name : Gael García Bernal

Gender : Male

Character Name : Driver

Original Name : Hiam Abbass

Gender : Female

Character Name : American

Original Name : Bill Murray

Gender : Male

Character Name : Second American

Original Name : Héctor Colomé

Gender : Male

Character Name : Flamenco Club Waitress

Original Name : María Isasi

Gender : Female

Character Name : Flight Attendant

Original Name : Norma Yessenia Paladines

Gender : Male

Character Name : Street Kid

Original Name : Alejandro Muñoz Biggie

Gender : Male

Character Name : Street Kid

Original Name : Cristina Sierra Sánchez

Gender : Male

Character Name : Street Kid

Original Name : Pablo Lucas Ortega

Gender : Male

Character Name : Flamenco Dancer

Original Name : La Truco

Gender : Male

Character Name : Flamenco Singer

Original Name : Talegón de Córdoba

Gender : Male

Character Name : Flamenco Guitarist

Original Name : Jorge Rodriguez Padilla

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Jon Ánder Aguirrezábal

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Miguel Alcíbar

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Francisco Álvarez de la Morena

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Verónica Barberis

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Santiago Bravo

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Miguel Casas García

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : José Corbacho

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Richard Diment

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Ángel Dominguez Duran

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Adolfina Escoriza Cano

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Miguel Gabin Álvarez

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Felipe García

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Pablo García Lloret

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Juan Carlos Garrido

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Saskia Gonzalez

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Dolores Jimenez

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Mercedes Leoni

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Jesús Losada Abadía

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Rubén Quiñonez

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Víctor Ariel Raigón

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Ignacio Ramos

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Ferran Rial

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Henar Sánchez

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Victor Vaquero

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Alba María Villaneva

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Carlos Martorell Ypiens

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : María José Rodríguez

Gender : Male

Reviews

CRCulver

@CRCulver

2021-06-23

Jim Jarmusch's 2008 film The Limits of Control concerns a nameless hitman (Isaach De Bankole) as he prepares to carry out an assassination in Spain. It is not overtly stated that he is a professional, but his uncompromising posture, his unchanging expression and the omnipresent suitcase make it clear from the very first minutes of the film. Isaach De Bankole is perfect in this role, as he has a face that seems carved out of granite. The hitman's few intimations of humanity are thus all the more shocking. As the film proceeds, the hitman meets a series of individuals who send him onwards in his journey to pick up necessary equipment and finally confront his victim. These employees of his mysterious employer are left nameless, though often referred to by items they carry or other qualities: "Guitar" (John Hurt), "Blond" (Tilda Swinton), "Violin" (Luis Tosar), "Mexican" (Gael García Bernal), and "Molecules" (Youki Kudoh). In engaging the assassin in conversation to subtly convey their messages, they end up delivering eccentric monologues. Many critics lambasted these lines as so much metaphysical babble. In fact, everything said relates very directly to the plot, but this is the sort of film that demands a second viewing to really tie everything together, and those who fail to be intrigued enough on the first viewing to go on to a second may find this film a failure. Though Jarmusch alludes to America under the Bush administration at points, this is ultimately a psychological drama: the hitman's task and contacts represent only parts of his own psyche. While some have tried to view this as a simple Freudian struggle between the id, ego, and superego, I feel that Jarmusch is aiming for something more subtle, something that he has great difficult putting into words and, even with his best efforts, this film can only hint at. THE LIMITS OF CONTROL feels like a cinematic analogue to the late albums of Scott Walker, where the songs' characters, cultural references and "plot" only serve to express some burning flame in the artist's own psyche. Jim Jarmusch has always stated that his aesthetic is to absorb everything he can from prior films (and books, music, etc.) and let those inspirations reflect in his own films.The Limits of Control abounds with references to the film canon: Jean-Pierre Melville (namely "Le Samouraï"), Orson Welles ("The Lady from Shanghai"), Alfred Hitchcock, Aki Kaurismäki ("Le Vie de Bohème"), Alejandro Jodorowsky (that auteur's entire trippy aesthetic), and probably more that I just didn't recognize. The film's lack of conventional interaction between characters and the compilation of references ultimately makes THE LIMITS OF CONTROL feel relatively cold and lifeless compared to Jarmusch's many other films. Still, the visuals of the film make it a worthwhile experience in spite of its flaws. With Christopher Doyle, funny enough, working the camera, we get a number of beautifully composed shots that will prove memorable.