I guess no one is immune to selling out.

Rating: 1/10 (22 March 2000)

The time has come for Steven Soderbergh to sell out. I'll always think of The Limey as his last film before selling his soul to Hollywood. It's hard to believe that the director of sex, lies, and videotape made this. Soderbergh used to be one of the godfathers of independent filmmaking (before there was Tarantino, there was Soderbergh). The name Soderbergh meant quality cinema. I thought Out Of Sight was a little too mainstream, but I saw what he was doing: trying to take an action film, and give it the kind of gritty feel that The French Connection or Serpico used to have. Most directors don't make them like that anymore (pardon the cliche). Following that, he perfected the gritty action drama with The Limey. These movies prove that he is above directing a knockoff of A Civil Action built around Julia Roberts. What's next? Jim Jarmusch directing the third Mission: Impossible? (If you're reading this Mr. Jarmusch, I know you wouldn't do that really. I'm just illustrating how ridiculous this seems to me. I think you're a brilliant artist.)