Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Limits of Control Blu-ray Movie Review

Imagine there's no plotline; it's easy if you try.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 2, 2019

The title of The Limits of Control is perhaps unintentionally revelatory, since this deliberately opaque opus from the typically pretty opaque Jim Jarmusch is a study in what some curmudgeons may feel is a complete lack of control, let alone a merely limited control, albeit one kind of ironically also exhibiting an almost anal retentive interest in the picayune. Jarmusch can be a thorny auteur even under the best of circumstances, and as some of the supplements on this release get into, he’s always encouraged a certain “collaborative” spirit with his audience, in a way supporting the same use of a viewer’s imagination that was also mentioned on some of the supplements on a recently reviewed Criterion title by the equally hazy Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, 24 Frames. Jarmusch spends a lot of the running time of The Limits of Control offering those viewers’ imaginations copious clues as to what might be going on, but with no really firm elucidation that may leave at least some of those imaginations struggling to connect the (imaginary?) dots. The film is a fascinating study in style, but whatever substance The Limits of Control may offer will almost certainly be in the eye of the beholder.

If some of the same obfuscatory tendencies Jarmusch employs in his perhaps better known films like Stranger Than Paradise and Down by Law are very much on display in The Limits of Control (maybe even more so), there’s one kind of interesting and maybe even curious difference in this film: its setting. Instead of the typical American locale that Jarmusch tends to utilize pretty exclusively, The Limits of Control is set throughout Spain, something that instantly gives this entry its own very distinct and distinctive character. Jarmusch and cinematographer Christopher Doyle provide an at times rather ravishing assortment of framings (aside and apart from some amazing scenes featuring a frequently totally nude Paz de la Huerta), even if what’s inside the frames can remain stubbornly hard to fathom at times.

The film’s focal character is another Man with No Name (so to speak), known only as The Lone Man (Isaach de Bankolé), but rather like the Clint Eastwood character from the Sergio Leone films in at least a couple of ways: he’s a vigilante of sorts, and he can be more than a bit on the laconic side. The film presents a series of vignettes where The Lone Man moves through what might almost be thought of as videogame “levels”, albeit with a number of recurring elements, including code words, a prevalence of matchboxes and coffee drinks, and a more or less complete lack of overt information as to what exactly is going on.

Like a number of other Jarmusch’s films, The Limits of Control has an almost trancelike, hypnotic aspect that actually may benefit from the relative dearth of “logical” elements like narrative and character development. Instead, The Lone Man seems like an almost magical realist figure, albeit one who might be akin to another Spaghetti western anti-hero, Sartana, in that he can reasonably be seen as a kind of Angel of Death. The film is filled with patently outré touches, and a host of weird but often engaging supporting performances from the likes of John Hurt, Tilda Swinton and Bill Murray. What does it all mean? Use your imagination.

The Limits of Control Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Limits of Control is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Academy with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains only the following pretty generic verbiage about the transfer:

The Limits of Control is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with 5.1 and 2.0 stereo sound. The High Definition digital transfer was provided by Universal.

This is by and large a nice looking transfer, one with an organic appearance with a visible grain field (for those who fear "old school" Universal tactics vis a vis their catalog releases). The palette is nicely warm and even burnished looking a lot of the time, especially in some of the sunlit outdoor environments, where Jarmusch and Doyle play with light and especially some unusual tones in backgrounds. There is a somewhat bluish undertone to a lot of the presentation which can tend to skew flesh tones slightly toward purple at times. A prevalence of close-ups supports typically excellent levels of fine detail. There is occasional roughness on display, especially in some dimly lit interior scenes, where grain looks slightly more unnatural, clumping at times and giving things an almost crosshatched appearance. There are some kind of oddly arbitrary spikes in grain; pay attention during the early scene in the airport, and every time the camera cuts away from the focal trio discussing The Lone Man's "mission", grain is noticeably more gritty looking for some reason. My score is 4.25.

The Limits of Control Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Limits of Control features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 mixes. Jarmusch did not score this particular feature, leaving the music instead the to guitar heavy combo Boris, who offer a kind of thumping, massed sound for a lot of the cues. There is really good use of the surround channels in any number of outdoor scenes, where ambient environmental effects can almost swirl around the listener. Dialogue, such as it is, is presented cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.

The Limits of Control Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• An American in Europe (1080p; 34:24) is an appealing analysis of Jarmusch's career in general and this film in particular, with what author Geoff Andrews calls Jarmusch's emphases on cinematic "ellipses", along with his desire to have the viewers' imaginations engaged to "complete the puzzle", in a comment that would have been equally at home in a supplement on the Kiarostami disc linked to above.


• The Rituals of Control (1080p; 16:47) is an interesting video essay by Amy Simmons, who gets into some of the tropes Jarmusch employs. She points out links to other Jarmusch films (notably Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai), as well as perhaps cheeky references to other films like Point Blank (keep an eye on the credits).


• Behind Jim Jarmusch (480i; 51:21) is a nicely done archival documentary on the making of the film which includes a lot of candid footage of Jarmusch.


• Untitled Landscapes (480i; 4:08) is another archival piece, this time concentrating on some of the locations utilized for the film.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:38)

Additionally, Arrow also provides its typically nicely appointed insert booklet.

The Limits of Control Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The best films are like dreams you're not sure you've had," states the Tilda Swinton character in one of the more obvious deconstructed yet meta scenes this often completely odd motion picture offers. You may not be sure exactly what you've had with regard to The Limits of Control, but it is a sui generis effort despite being somehow ineffably a Jarmusch effort. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package extremely interesting for those considering a purchase.