A retired British gangster (Ray Winstone) is trying to keep out of a London heist, despite the efforts of Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), a goateed, shaved-headed pit bull of a gangster in this raw, startling film that grabs your attention and never lets go. Gary "Gal" Dove lounges at his villa on Costa del Sol, with not a care in the world, until his Mediterranean paradise is interrupted by Logan, just arrived to recruit Gal for a London heist led by mob boss Teddy Bass (Ian McShane). Gal refuses the job; Logan won't hear it. He's human nitroglycerine, ready to explode at the slightest provocation, spewing Cockney profanities like armor-piercing bullets. Sexy Beast presents him as hilarious and horrifying, a soloist whose instrument is pure, bilious rage.
Kingsley's volatile performance--the polar opposite of his Oscar®-winning role in Gandhi--expands the actor's range into startlingly unexpected territory. It's the white-hot center of Sexy Beast, but the feature debut of director Jonathan Glazer (after acclaimed TV commercials and music videos) is equally noteworthy for the performance of the lesser-known Winstone, and also for Glazer's brass-knuckle approach to what is, essentially, a conventional gangland thriller. Glazer's instincts aren't always sound (dream sequences involving a hideous man-rabbit prove a bit too peculiar), but with pugilistic rhythm and a humorous knack for combining well-chosen songs and a rough, kinetic visual style, Sexy Beast is a wild ride. --Jeff Shannon.
(20 votes)
2.
Jonathan Glazer, the award-winning director of advertisements and music videos, presents his feature film debut with this lushly photographed, expertly written, and brilliantly performed convention-defying British gangster film. SEXY BEAST jettisons the slickness of the LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS school in favor of intricate character development. In its opening shot, Gary "Gal" Dove (Ray Winstone)--a big-bellied ex-gangster with a cockney accent--is sunning himself pool side at his luxe villa on Spain's Costa Del Sol when a gigantic boulder hurtles down a hillside, almost killing him. This near miss serves as a troublesome portent, but it hardly affects Gal, who is immersed in his tranquil life with wife Deedee (Amanda Redman), who he adores with earnest fervor. However, Gal's peace is soon shattered by the arrival of Don Logan (Ben Kingsley, using his shaved skull, spare frame, and ramrod posture to pose as an anti-Gandhi), a brutal former accomplice looking to recruit Gal for a heist. A battle of wills ensues when Gal refuses to leave retirement, and the frighteningly intense Don refuses to take no for an answer. Glazer expertly heightens the film's tension using shifts in the pacing and flashbacks, while Kingsley and Winstone imbue their characters with gorgeous life.
(20 votes)
3.
Gary "Gal" Dove (Ray Winstone) is an ex-con who has served his time and is enjoying a blissful retirement on Spain's Costa del Sol, with his adored wife Deedee (Amanda Redman). His days are spent contentedly sunning himself beside his swimming pool - beer in hand - watching his Spanish house boy, Enrique, sweep away the dust and cares of the day. Deedee, a former porn star, fills her days by shopping for designer clothes with her friend Jackie (Julianne White) who lives with Gal's pal Aitch (Cavan Kendall).
One day while relaxing poolside, Gal's reverie is interrupted by a huge boulder that comes crashing down from the hill above the villa only to wind up in the middle of the pool, drenching him and cracking the pool tiles in the process. As Deedee arrives home. Gal is instructing Enrique on having the boulder removed.
However, the wayward boulder is but the first of two unexpected - and unwelcome - interruptions in Gal's quiet existence. Enter Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) Gal's gangster nemesis from his days on the other side of the law. Don has his sights set on enlisting the services of Gal to join an elite team of criminals to perpetrate the ultimate bank heist. Masterminded by arch-villain Teddy Bass, the job, Don assures Gal, is foolproof. Throughout a conversation that moves from cajoling to bullying to threatening, Gal remains unwilling to sacrifice the tranquility of his retirement. Finally, Don's exhortations cross the line when he begins to malign Deedee for her sordid past. Gal angrily accuses him of using the job as an excuse to see Jackie, for whom Don has admitted he carries a torch. The heated exchange ends with Don's hurried exit to a taxi bound for the airport.
Although Don at first appears resigned to Gal's refusal to join the unholy alliance, his frustration is simmering and about to boil over.
(20 votes)
4.
Fed up with the seemingly endless succession of Brit gangster flicks? Or just wish that someone would reinvent the genre? Either way, Sexy Beast is for you. While reintroducing some of the well-worn characters of recent years, the film at least attempts to take a sideways look at the genre. Centred on the lives of two ex-con ex-pats and their new lives in Spain, the story is one concerning the conflict between the past and the present. Ray Winston is Gel, who, enjoying his life of early retirement in the sun, finds his loyalties called into question when asked to return to Britain to take part in an audacious heist. There's not much else to say plot wise, but the script and cast is so strong that the film gets away with it. Eschewing the younger brat pack in favour of the likes of Winston, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman (sadly under-used) and Ben Kingsley (whose ultra foul-mouthed Don steals every scene) gives the film a calm authority. Quite violent--although more in language than action--but not without its moments of brilliant humour, Sexy Beast is an intelligent, enthralling and welcome addition to the gangster-film genre. --Phil Udell
(18 votes)
5.
Ben Kingsley is "the most savage, mad-dog, frothing gangster in recent movies." -Roger Ebert, The Chicago-Sun Times
Ben Kingsley is unforgettably menacing as "the anti-Gandhi" (The New Yorker), delivering "his best performance every" (Premiere Magazine) in this high-voltage film that crackles with style and wit.
When sociopathic gangster Don Logan (Kingsley) tries to recruit an ex-partner in crime (Ray Winstone) for a high-stakes heist back to London, the retired criminal refuses, favoring the legit life after serving a prison term. But Logan won't take no for an answer. Tension hits the fever-pitch as this battle of wills plays out in a story that is as funny as it is terrifying.
(17 votes)
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