There's THAT kind of movie - one that tells a story and has a coherent plot... and then there's THIS kind of movie... a mental puzzle, the kind of film you have to watch a second and third time and maybe more to figure out. If you've seen David Lynch's Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, or Inland Empire, that's the kind of movie The Limits of Control is. The star of the film, Isaach DeBankole, appears to be a hit man who's been contracted to kill Bill Murray. But he also exchanges match boxes with various characters for most of the film. He gives someone a match box full of diamonds and in exchange gets a match box with some kind of code written on paper which he eats. Is this part of his hit man job or something else? Is he a diamond smuggler on the side? I don't know. I'll have to see it again... and maybe still won't be able to figure it out. If you don't like puzzle movies, don't go to this one.

The Limits of Boredom would be a more apt title to this movie.

Beautifully made, but better serves as Spain's extended version of commercial for tourism.

I'm going to guess that this film would appeal almost exclusively to Jarmusch fans. For others, patience is needed along with the conscious expectation of only a few seconds of pay-off at the end. Perhaps an allegory for bondage/freedom, the audience is at the mercy of Jarmusch. And he takes control through long, aesthetically beautiful shots, repetition, and a nearly silent film. OK, some nice musical moments, and a few lines from Swinton, Hurt, and Murray. If you feel drowsy, better wait for a time when your full attention can be mustered.