Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

An almost meditative experience with a sprinkle of humour and poetry thats pulls everything together as an excellent minimalist movie. If you are expecting a conventional narrative with plenty of action, this movie could be perceived as boring or vacuous. However, you will be rewarded if you go with the flow of the beautiful cinematography and pacing that helps to explore some interesting philosophical ideas in a visual way. Jarmusch uses repetitive imagery to create a sense of how the main character maintains balance and stability on his unpredictable journey through Spanish landscapes, mysterious strangers and art galleries. The slow and calm pace of the film allows the viewer to experience the main characters discipline, deep focus and intuition. Some great experimental filmmaking here.

1. The most hilarious gag I've seen in a film in ages (delivered by Tilda Swinton). Won't bother going on about it as others already have, but the film's first 20 or 30 mins are almost just building to the delivery of that line and the subsequent 45 secs.2. The exquisite juxtaposition of the achingly controlled practicing Flamenco artists (in particular the dancer) and the first crack of a loss of the main protagonist's control to the inevitable emotions provoked by what he's witnessing (there are many overwhelmingly beautiful "set-ups" thrown in his face, to which he has thusfar not reacted). This scene should have film students and buffs jizzing in their pants, and if it doesn't, they should think again! If you don't like Jim Jarmusch, then don't bother. If you do, watch it. Simple.

Some reviewers have commented that the film moves too slowly. Assassinations usually do. I watched the film on DVD, on a 50" plasma HD screen, so the cinematography was good, but, talk about slow. At the 15th of 18 scenes, the DVD reverted back to #1 and I thought the film was intentionally deja vu until I noticed that every aspect was identical. That definitely intensified the slow pace. I moved to another DVD and finished watching the film.I only rented the movie because Paz De La Huerta did a Playboy spread and the commentary referred to her being nude in every scene. Unfortunately, she wasn't in many scenes and her most fascinating feature (her profile) wasn't the focal point of the shoot. When directors want to show nudity at its' best, the actress should be moving about so the viewer gets every imaginable angle.The ending wasn't climactic and caused me to wonder what made the matchbox trading so important to the script.

I was thinking that this was the abstract baby Lost in Translation and The American had, and just like that Bill Murray eventually makes an appearance. The way he looked at the skull on his desk really made me smile. The reason I watched this movie was because of Boris & Sunn O)))'s contribution to the soundtrack, and that was the only reason. Well, I was in for it! Personally I don't think this drone / doom metal soundtrack fits this movie, or almost any movie, but surely I am biased. And perhaps I've just listened too much to the songs beforehand so that I find they are too cut down, repetitive and out of place here. Boris's music worked in Kokuhaku, though.Also, did I get what The Limits of Control was about? Not overall, and I didn't like the unrealistic dialogues. It made the dominating silence in the movie seem more meaningless and less thought-provoking. Still, having random (famous) people ramble on about long-winded, ambiguous and quite irrelevant topics didn't lack charm (I'm not being completely sarcastic, especially in John Hurt's case). But hey, it is a very symbolic and long-dragged movie that shrouds its various points with mystery. It is a full-blown "show, don't tell" piece of film. Make what you will of it; I was entertained throughout but I did not arrive at any satisfactory conclusion.However, the wavering of the camera in the last second of the movie had me wondering. Did I limit this movie?