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Arrow Films
When it comes to American independent cinema, there s no one quite like Jim Jarmusch, the celebrated auteur behind such classics as Stranger Than Paradise and Only Lovers Left Alive. Eschewing his usual American landscapes in favour of a variety of locations throughout urban and rural Spain, his 2009 anti-thriller The Limits of Control remains one of his most alluring and multi-layered creations.
An enigmatic loner (Isaach de Bankolé, Black Panther, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai) arrives in Spain, instructed to make contact with a series of strangers in different locations throughout the country, each of whom provides a cryptic clue which propels him further towards his mysterious goal. But who is the Lone Man? Why is he here? And how does the recurring figure of an alluring femme fatale (Paz de la Huerta, Enter the Void) fit into the puzzle?
Boasting stunning cinematography by the award-winning Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love) and featuring cameos from an array of celebrated character actors, including Tilda Swinton (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Gael García Bernal (Y Tu Mamá También) and the late John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), The Limits of Control is a languid, hauntingly beautiful film that combines the best of American and European arthouse sensibilities.
Special Features
- High Definition Blu-rayTM (1080p) presentation
- Original lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 stereo soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- An American in Europe, a new video interview with Geoff Andrew, author of Stranger Than Paradise: Maverick Film-Makers in Recent American Cinema
- The Rituals of Control, a new video essay on the film by author and critic Amy Simmons
- Behind Jim Jarmusch, an archival documentary on the making of the film
- Untitled Landscapes, an archival featurette showcasing the film s locations
- Theatrical trailer
- Arrow Academy
- 116 mins Approx.
- 15
- English
- 1
- Arrow Academy
- Jim Jasrmusch
- Isaach De Bankolé
- Paz de la Huerta
- Tilda Swinton
English SDH
- 2019
- B
The Limits Of Control Blu-ray
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Arrow Films
When it comes to American independent cinema, there s no one quite like Jim Jarmusch, the celebrated auteur behind such classics as Stranger Than Paradise and Only Lovers Left Alive. Eschewing his usual American landscapes in favour of a variety of locations throughout urban and rural Spain, his 2009 anti-thriller The Limits of Control remains one of his most alluring and multi-layered creations.
An enigmatic loner (Isaach de Bankolé, Black Panther, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai) arrives in Spain, instructed to make contact with a series of strangers in different locations throughout the country, each of whom provides a cryptic clue which propels him further towards his mysterious goal. But who is the Lone Man? Why is he here? And how does the recurring figure of an alluring femme fatale (Paz de la Huerta, Enter the Void) fit into the puzzle?
Boasting stunning cinematography by the award-winning Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love) and featuring cameos from an array of celebrated character actors, including Tilda Swinton (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Gael García Bernal (Y Tu Mamá También) and the late John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), The Limits of Control is a languid, hauntingly beautiful film that combines the best of American and European arthouse sensibilities.
Special Features
- High Definition Blu-rayTM (1080p) presentation
- Original lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 stereo soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- An American in Europe, a new video interview with Geoff Andrew, author of Stranger Than Paradise: Maverick Film-Makers in Recent American Cinema
- The Rituals of Control, a new video essay on the film by author and critic Amy Simmons
- Behind Jim Jarmusch, an archival documentary on the making of the film
- Untitled Landscapes, an archival featurette showcasing the film s locations
- Theatrical trailer
- Arrow Academy
- 116 mins Approx.
- 15
- English
- 1
- Arrow Academy
- Jim Jasrmusch
- Isaach De Bankolé
- Paz de la Huerta
- Tilda Swinton
English SDH
- 2019
- B
Customer Reviews
Top Customer Reviews
Where reviews refer to foods or cosmetic products, results may vary from person to person. Customer reviews are independent and do not represent the views of The Hut Group.
Incredible and incredibly misunderstood
I guess I understand why so many people didn't love this, but I don't know why the art cinema crowd hasn't re-evaluated one of Jim Jarmusch's best films as the masterwork that it is. The Limits of Control is the ultimate anti-genre piece. It's got flavors of French New Wave, Abbas Kiarostami, Eastern European arthouse, American avant-garde, and New Taiwanese Cinema. It's got Isaach de Bankolé as the coolest, calmest, and classy-ist gangster you'll ever see, who spends more time hanging out and being mindful than actually doing crime. There's an ensemble of amazing character actors who move in and out of the film like the best blunt rotation of philosophical criminals anyone could ever meet. This film has fucking Boris, LCD Soundsystem, and Schubert on the same soundtrack. And none other than Christopher Doyle shot every moment of it all like his life depended on it. But here's where I made the jump to giving The Limits of Control a full five stars. People gush over Godard's experimental mentality. Film buffs live for experiential journeys about reality and the human condition. Post-modern anti-storytelling has been crushing audiences' expectations for decades. Yet, here's one of the best and most important indie filmmakers of the last forty years giving us a movie that is all about mood, defying pre-conceptions and categorization, creating tone and unfolding plot through style and detail...and people focused on how "slow" or "confusing" this was? This movie is precisely about accepting the idea of being in the moment, taking in what you can experience in the world, and finding one's own control in the truth of life's deeper meaninglessness. I mean, Jim Jarmusch crafted a meticulous, existential, and heady but strangely grounded film that works overtime on so many levels. It's a love letter to the things Jarmusch cares about, not only reveling in the power of art but seeking to confront the way art seems to be increasingly devalued by Western (or, American?) society in favor of success, comfortable perspectives, and probably money. The Limits of Control is also an exploration of how we all as individuals define our lives for ourselves, as the film works its ideas on free will, perception, and consciousness through a brilliantly enigmatic hitman protagonist who doesn't use a gun, doesn't like cell phones, and who rather spend his days in museums and coffee shops than having to interact with most other people. This is about the most zen movie I think I've ever watched, going beyond stoner sensibilities or surface level philosophical waxings. Jarmusch fully puts his mind on display as we get to watch the regular life of a regular man doing regular things in between secretive crime meetings and visually arresting interludes. The Limits of Control is like riding a stream of vibes as you receive only the information you need to understand what the film's main character understands. But it's all so lived in, so deeply human, that I couldn't help but lose myself in the wonder and intrigue of the so-called "Lone Man's" journey towards personal freedom, whether it's freedom from a life of crime or simply an escape from the current task at hand. What it all means, who they all are, why it all happens, where it all ends - these are questions that don't need answers when you realize reality is arbitrary. Just go for the ride, live for your own self, move to your own rhythm, and always remember that you define your reality. And of course, embrace art and music and cinema, because those reflections of the world around us are the ways in which we live and make sense of it all. I absolutely loved this film and the way Jim Jarmusch sought to re-frame what a movie can be and achieve, providing a wonderful deconstruction of what a viewer could want from an action movie or bigger than life hero. At least for me, it was so refreshing to find a piece of cinema that chooses to completely exist within the style and bounds of the ritualistic, the eliptical, the poetic, and the contemplative. Also, I've now watched six movies from this man that are all so vastly different from one another, and yet could only have been made by Jim Jarmusch. I don't know why I'm still surprised to feel like that every time.
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