Soderbergh focuses on the narrative and avoids pitfalls that could send this story into hopeless confusion. Solid back up performances by Luiz Guzman, Barry Newman, Peter Fonda, and Leslie Ann Warren enhance the film, yet this is Stamp's film all the way. From the first close up of Wilson, we realise that this guy is not one to mess with.
Stamp can accomplish more with a slight facial expression than many actors with volumes of dialogue.
Wilson has just been released from a nine-year jail sentence in Great Britain. He received a letter from a friend of his daughter's informing him of her death in a mysterious auto accident in Los Angeles. The letter suggests foul play. Wilson identifies his daughter's killer early in the film and wastes little time in accomplishing his revenge. A lot of people die, as the soft, cowardly Valentine proves no match for the bright, ruthless Wilson.