Limbo (1999)

Another John Sayles Gem

God love and protect John Sayles. Not because he hits every ball out of the park, because he clearly doesn't; but because he never lets his few strikeouts compel him to try to hit a five-run homer the next time out. In an era marked by increasingly degraded and degrading notions of "entertainment" and "storytelling" - for pity's sake, as I write this, grown adults are waxing rhapsodic over a movie about a costumed billionaire-vigilante (!!) - Sayles understands that great drama is about the people we meet every day; the places we live in and how they shape us; the things that change, and the things that remain; and above all, about the human heart in conflict with itself. In LIMBO, he takes risks with his zig-zagging narrative most filmmakers simply aren't capable of, and reaps rewards of such profundity, and richness of feeling, that most audiences are too conditioned by junk-culture to recognize, let alone appreciate them. Some viewers have felt betrayed by LIMBO's seismic shifts in tone and direction, and the elliptical ending, but even that sense of betrayal speaks to how utterly absorbing and moving his handling of his Alaska-set story is, and how unblinking his observations of his characters. (You can only feel "betrayed" if you're deeply invested in the story that's been presented, after all.) Sayles' screenplay, like his direction, is so completely free of artifice as to seem transparent - his "heroes" and "villains" are separated only by their degrees of vulnerability and weakness under pressure - and his small cast of actors are working at the height of their gifts. David Straithairn, always underrated, has never been better, and young Vanessa Martinez is a quiet revelation. You won't forget these characters, or this movie, regardless of how the ending affects you. And though you hate to jinx his thus-far phenomenal career with red-carpet hullabaloo, maybe it's time to make it official and coronate John Sayles as the greatest moviemaker of our time. He may not need or want the crown, but Hollywood certainly needs to made to cry uncle and acknowledge it. July 31, 2008

Powerful and emotional movie

Some have dissed the ending, finding it unsatisfying, but in my opinion, that's exactly what John Sayles wanted to accomplish with this ending, IMO.

The people gave in to the situation and accepted their fate, good or bad.

As many critics have pointed out, tension without resolution was built up and up throughout the movie. They claim that this was the mark of an incompetent director. I disagree.

I believe that Sayers wanted to convey the feelings (frustration, resignation, hopeful/hopeless, etc.) of being in limbo to the audience. At least to me, he succeeded. The lack of resolution made for a much more powerful and emotional ending.

Sayers could have made this movie an "action packed thriller" but did not. It must have been at least somewhat tempting to Sayers; given the box office appeal of "action packed thrillers" which probably would have made a lot more money.
July 14, 2008

Well-acted character driven drama (loved the ending)

I just saw this again (3rd or 4th time) after finding it on HBO. I once owned the videotape until I upgraded.

David Strathairn as Joe Gastineau is laconic, stoic, but still emotional. His character truly comes alive as a man you can understand. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Donna De Angelo captures the essence of her aging-bar-crooning character and the interaction between her, her teen daughter Noelle (deftly played by Vanessa Martinez), and Gastineau was developed to draw your interest. Throw in a few twists and one of the best endings and you have a treat for people who appreciate dramatic, character driven works. But if you seek a formulaic, cookie-cutter flick, go elsewhere.

Also, anyone who has visited Southeast Alaska will recognize and appreciate the scenic vistas providing the backdrop. I grew up in Juneau and recognized many shots. One can see similar work in Insomnia (2002 with Al Pacino Robin Williams) and Into the Wild (2007 with Emile Hirsch), but this film has a superior story.

In closing, as my friend KLMVP would say, any song that ends with Bruce Springsteen's "Lift Me Up" is a great movie. July 5, 2008

Neither Heaven or Hell...wish it would have been either!

"Limbo"....not Heaven, and not Hell, but somewhere in the lifeless in-between....waiting....for what?

That is how John Sayle's "Limbo" comes to the screen with majestic rivers and mountains of Alaska, and a cast of characters that are stuck between their past and future, uncomfortable in their existence in the present. All very high-minded and torturous to watch for 122 minutes. What did I like about this film?....Broadway Tony-nominated star Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio allowed to sing three complete songs in her sumptuous folksy "Judy Collins/Joan Baez voice!!! (The entire soundtrack holds this extremely tedious film together!) Her version of "Dimming of the Day" (also used in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Widescreen Edition)) with shots of the Alaskan skyline, mountains,rivers and David Strathairn on his boat is beautiful piece of work by Sayles; too bad the rest of the film, with a "Sopranos" ending, is much too cluttered with plot and characters all in limbo also. That is the point of the film, and you will have to like that sort of thing if in order to get worth from this film. Alaska-lovers will delight in this film for the scenery. Plot and character lovers will "cut themselves" like the character Noelle does.

Sayles wrote this work and it is pretty typical, IMO, of his other films The Secret of Roan Inish, Casa de los Babys, Passion Fish and Lone Star. If you enjoy Sayles' work give "Limbo" a try. April 24, 2008

Make up your own ending

I got interested in this movie and had to finish it. Good actors, good acting, good story and sympathetic characters. I had to finish this movie just to see these poor people rescued from that bone-chilling cold. And the daughter, sick, needing medical attention, "reading" from a diary she found.

I wish someone could have warned me about the ending. So some people consider this "arty?" How someone could watch a movie like this over and over is beyond me but that is just my own opinion. If this film had an ending, a real ending, good or bad, I would give at least 4 stars. But I felt like I had been slapped in the face. Ha ha, the joke is on me.

I hope to avoid films by this director in the future. I don't want to invest emotions in a film and the characters in it, only to be shut out, to have the door slammed shut in my face.


March 11, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...