Beyond the City Limits

The Russians smalltime crooks Sergei Akotia (Brian McCardie) and Yuri (Alexis Denisof) plan to hold up two million dollars from a casino with the inside information of the security guard Troy (Steve Harris) and the support of two dirty cops. When the two cops are killed, they decide to call off the heist and they kick out their girlfriends Misha (Nastassja Kinski) and Lexi (Alison Hannigan). Misha and Lexi meet an old friend of Misha, Helena Toretti (Jennifer Esposito), who is in a divorce process with the bored and upset detective Jack (Todd Field). The trio plots revenge against the guys and decide to rob the casino with Troy. But the plan turns upside-down with unpredictable events.

When I saw the names of Alison Hannigan (from Buffy), Alexis Denisof (from Angel) and the gorgeous Nastassja Kinski and Jennifer Esposito in the cast of this movie, I decided to ignore the bad reviews and IMDb Rating and watch it. Unfortunately, the reviews are right and this movie is really bad, with a messy screenplay and awful conclusion. The story is very confused, with a terrible direction that is not able to make a funny, or dramatic, or violent movie. There are some ridiculous parts, like for example when the two "Russians" argue in English with a weird accent. If they are Russians, wouldn't they speak in their native language while alone? The character of Alison Hannigan, Lexi, is awfully developed and never clear of her objectives and feelings. Brian McCardie looks like a cartoon with his character (or caricature?). I tried to find good and positive points in this movie, but with such unpleasant end with the fate of Misha it is impossible to like it. I have never read anything about this director, Gigi Gaston, but he was able to waste a good cast and I had a really bad experience watching this confused flick. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Além dos Limites" ("Beyond the Limits")

This film has absolutely no direction. I was a little skeptical of the concept but saw that it could actually work. But the story and dialogue just got lost and the film got muddled into the second act and fell apart from there. Any comedic or dramatic elements of the film got in the way of each other.

Lame Canadian heist flick will be of interest to Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans since it stars not only Allyson Hannigan (Willow) but also features Alexis Denisof (Wesley on Buffy and Angel). The movie seems like it might have been inspired by Bound, but it's unconvincing and dull. Of the three female leads Hannigan comes off best by far, bringing a touching vulnerability to her part. Jenniffer Esposito, on the other hand, is dreadful. You never believe her for a second and are always too aware that you're watching an actress play a part--and a not very good actress at that based on this movie and Backflash.

1. This is not an action flick.

2. This is not a crime thriller.

If you can swallow those up front, I think you might enjoy the film. As best as I can put it, this story is a character study of three loser women and the loser men they hang out with in LA. The three women, realizing that their lives are nothing but sound & fury, band together to change things, although they're not quite sure how. As the story progresses, so does their desperation and ultimately their resolve to pull off a crazy heist which they hope will get them beyond the city limits and free of their loser lifestyles forever.

Although the story is interesting, make no mistake, the principal focus is on the characters. Most of the film focuses on the 3 friends and their funny, sad & angry moments, building a tone of quiet frustration which comes to a climax in the last 20 minutes when they decide to go through with the crazy heist. But the first 70 minutes of the film is more like "Stand By Me", the adult female version. I think if you view the film that way, you'll really love it.

The acting of these 3 main characters is fantastic. There's not a lot of fireworks and histrionics, but instead you get a good, solid, realistic portrayal of real people. Natassja Kinski shines as the free spirit who, for some reason, can never get free of circumstances. Jennifer Esposito is equally convincing as a feisty woman whose life is winding down way too soon. And Alison Hannigan gives a great performance as the kid whose life has imploded before she can even get off the ground. I give another round of applause to Sophie B. Hawkins who shows that she can act as well as sing (not to mention wear a vinyl cat suit better than anyone I've ever seen. homina homina, "damn I wish she was my lover").

By the way, don't kill yourself looking for a widescreen version; I believe this was filmed in 4:3 which was annoying to me at first, but as the film progressed, I realized how well director Gigi Gaston made artistic use of the full screen format to convey a feeling of both claustrophobia and tightness between the 3 friends. I'd like to think it was planned that way (but if not, heck, someone did a great job of pan & scan). Gigi Gaston did a great job with this.

There are some great comedic moments if you're into dark comedy. Some of the situations are so bizarre they're hilarious. And I really think the dog "Woody" deserves an Oscar nom.

I am one of the few outside of the Philippines who actually owns a copy of Beyond the City Limits. It's too bad this movie hasn't been released more widely, since it's not a bad movie. It's sort of a low budget clone of oceans 11, but with female lead characters.

There's nothing really unexpected or exciting about the film, the acting is above average, the editing/directing is slightly below average, and the plotline/script are average. It's worth watching, if only to see the gorgeous Alyson Hannigan. It's also pretty funny watching Alexis Denisof talk in a Russian accent. Quite different from his role as Wesley the Watcher in Buffy/Angel.

If you get a chance to see this movie, I say go for it, especially if you're a fan of Alyson Hannigan.