Not only one of the best films I've seen recently, but one of the best I've ever seen. After a string of Spring '08 stinkers just viewed on DVD, Soderbergh's last effort in the '90s is right up there with Traffic as his best film.
I'd seen Terence Stamp in plenty of films over the past 15 years, but each time I wondered why he was considered such a big name. His turns in Bowfinger and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace felt tiny and phoned in. The Limey put aside any doubts that Stamp is a legend, beginning with his steely look and solidified by his gruff, blunt voice. It's a captivating performance and now one of my favorites.
Additionally, this is Soderbergh at his most inventive and free. There are no signs of studio interference throughout the work, leaving the director to experiment with cinematography, editing, and pacing to craft an overall brilliant piece. As Matthew Tobey says in the All Movie Guide, The Limey was perhaps Soderbergh's indie swan song before gaining a level of popularity that barred him from ever being this loose on screen. I've yet to see Bubble, which sounds like it was made under the studio radar (no big names, small budget, no lucrative release date, etc.), but Soderbergh has maintained an air of independence thoughout his works. The casts and budgets may have blown up, but the auteur's stamp remains and he's not afraid to try new things (all soundstages for The Good German; all DV for Full Frontal; tap into the remake with Solaris; etc).
Still, there's little Ocean's Thirteen shares with The Limey. For appreciative audiences, that's a true gift.