The Limits Of Control

The Limits Of Control is the latest movie by terminally cool New York filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. If you're familiar with any of his other work, like Down By Law or Coffee And Cigarettes, then you'll have a good idea of what to expect here: a slow-moving, episodic, existential mood piece broken up by bizarre moments of bone-dry character comedy. The filmmaker hasn't changed his style much in the 25 years since he broke out with Stranger Than Paradise, and that's a good thing and bad thing. There's certainly no other director out there making movies quite like Jarmusch, but at the same time, the filmmaker's work is getting increasingly repetitive and his talents are slowly proving to be limited. Like most of Jarmusch's recent work, The Limits Of Control takes a Hollywood genre and filters it through the director's comedic quirks and philosophical angst. He subverted the western with Dead Man, toyed with the romantic comedy in Broken Flowers and now takes on the thriller, although there aren't many thrills to be found in this movie, at least in a conventional sense. Isaach De Bankole stars as an unnamed protagonist sent on a mission by some questionable characters. We never know exactly why he's on his quest, nor do we know exactly what his job is (although we assume contract killer) and that's kind of the point. Jarmusch's films aren't about narrative satisfaction but about tone and character. Every scene is a short film complete onto itself that somehow links together with the other scenes to form a whole. The Limits Of Control is meandering, heavy-handed and slow. But that's just what you get with Jarmusch. He's a style-first director and if you're into his unique form of filmmaking, then you should enjoy it. However, if you've found his work ponderous and pretentious in the past, stay away ― this film offers more of the same. Jarmusch isn't going to grow much as a filmmaker, but as long as he can keep making movies as unique and stylish as this, he'll always have fans. That small and passionate fan base should enjoy The Limits Of Control DVD, as it comes with a 50-minute documentary showing the typically reserved and private filmmaker at work. It's a rare treat for film buffs, but be warned: the doc is just as slow and drawn out as the feature. If you don't like that sort of thing, then this DVD will be nothing more than a cure for insomnia, well, except for when Bill Murray is onscreen.