Pretty Good

Brilliant and touching

Absolutely the worst movie.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

With a cast like Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman and Ben Kingsley there was the thought that 'Sexy Beast' should be a really good film and couldn't go wrong.'Sexy Beast' lives up to its potential as a really good film, and rarely puts a foot wrong. While it may not quite one's definition of sexy, it is certainly a beast and a fine one at that. This is much more than a "Ray Winstone gangster film" as it deceivingly appears on the surface. Instead it is a neat, tense crime thriller that pulls no punches and doesn't hold back, scarily so in fact. While there is a lot to recommend in 'Sexy Beast', it is the performances that carry the film and what makes it as good as it is.Ray Winstone has seldom been more restrained and wisely so, while Ian McShane is creepy in an understated way, Amanda Redman is sensual and fiery and James Fox is solid. Stealing the film is Ben Kingsley who has never been more supremely terrifying than here, making for one of the most unforgettable screen psychos, anybody who knows him best from his gentler roles like Gandhi will still love him in those roles but not see them in the same way again.That the characterisation is meaty, particularly the juicy one for Logan (a dream part for anybody wanting to do something different to usual), and that the material is good helps, but it is more to do with that the cast are strong enough actors to do justice to it.Jonathan Glazer, in his film debut after his background in television adverts, brings slick tension and an audacious visual style to his directing. Visually, 'Sexy Beast' is bold, stylish and colourful, with the idyllic scenery contrasting wonderfully with the tension of the story. The music is suitably pulsating.'Sexy Beast's' script, in a dialogue-driven film, positively blisters and the intense brutality of a lot of it makes the most foul-mouthed Quentin Tarantino films family friendly in comparison. The story, while structurally slight, delivers on the suspense and tension and intrigues, particularly in the riveting confrontational chemistry between Winstone and Kingsley (the former in a way playing second fiddle to the latter).It's not a perfect film by all means. The tension and pacing slackens slightly in the later stages of the film and, although clever and slickly done, the caper subplot gets a little improbable towards being wrapped up.Otherwise, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Sexy Beast (2000) Reviewed by Martin Davis. Retrospect Film on Facebook. London villain goes into retirement on the Costa del Crime but is 'persuaded' back to do one last job. It's the kind of story told many times before, often badly. Jonathan Glazers' directorial debut however, revisits this old territory with a unique style of its own. From the surreal dream sequences to the razor sharp dialogue, it never lets up. Ex-con and safe-cracker Gary "Gal" Dove (Ray Winstone) is enjoying his idyllic lifestyle in Spain with his beloved wife DeeDee (Amanda Redman) and his longtime friend Aitch and his wife Jackie. Their tranquillity is shattered by the arrival of an old criminal associate, Don Logan (Ben Kingsley). Logan has been sent out to bring Gal back for a major bank heist and he's not taking no for an answer. The reaction of Gal and DeeDee and their friends, upon hearing of Logans' imminent arrival, sets the tone for this most unwelcome of visitors. It's the measure of a great actor that the man who earlier in his career had played the title role in Richard Attenboroughs' 'Gandhi' is so convincing in the role of a vicious sociopath. From the moment he appears on-screen Kingsleys' ferocious portrayal of Logan dominates every scene he appears in and his fearsome presence begins a chain of events from which there will be no going back. Upon returning to London Gal is reunited with Teddy Bass, the heist organiser, played by Ian McShane, another superb performance. In any other film McShane would have won the acting plaudits. The film lingers long in the memory for Kingsleys' role though. The cast and quality of acting turn 'Sexy Beast' from a standard crime caper film into something quite different. Winstone is excellent as Gal, a man whose past demons come back to consume him and push him to breaking point. There is also a terrific performance from Amanda Redman as DeeDee, his beleaguered wife. Crime thrillers rarely portray female lead characters with any real substance but Amanda Redman here, like Sharon Stone in Scorseses' 'Casino' is a notable exception. Seventeen years on 'Sexy Beast' still stands as one of the best crime thrillers ever made. In 2004 it was voted 15th best British film of all time by 'Total Film' magazine. Highly Recommended. Martin Davis. Retrospect Film on Facebook

Let's assume you are a casting director, there are two roles: one is Gal, a retired safe-cracker enjoying the life of Riley in a beatific villa in Spain with his wife and friends; and the other is his former criminal associate Don Logan, a browbeating, invective-pelting psychopath who wills to recruit him to a new job and will not take no for answer. Then you are given two candidates: Mr. Gandhi himself, Sir. Ben Kingsley and a bovver heavy Ray Winstone, the choice is rather self- evident. However, that is not the case for UK scenester Jonathan Glazer when he begins to work on his feature film debut SEXY BEAST, who does the obverse, fingers Mr. Winstone for the hapless Gal and Mr. Kingsley for the rivetingly menacing Don Logan, a delectable volte-face rewardingly earns him an Oscar nomination, meantime, Winstone also magnificently brings about an incarnation very different from his usual image, a rough diamond type, graced by the lovey-dovey intimacy between him and his wife DeeDee Dove (Redman), an erstwhile porn star. It is a taut iteration in the UK gangster genre, the story is nothing too sparkling, it is Glazer's swift and impressive execution takes the full credit. The harbinger arrives in its opening, a boulder falls right in into the swimming pool of Gal's villa (which betrays a sloppy CGI burnished effort), while he is sunbathing under the blistering heat, this portends an impending threat which will disrupt the placidity and imperil those who cannot get away, Don Logan is coming to visit, and he will not be in a pleasant mood if he knows that Gal determines to decline his very generous offer. So sparks fly, but not without a droll war of (swearing) words and things will inevitably get physical, Kingsley's intimidating presence deviously pays off the looming dread simply elicited by the mention of his name, and after an ironical turn of events, he does manage to press-gang Gal into partaking in the action however reluctant he is, to break into a bank vault via water pressure, The suspense isn't swelling during the action, but after, when the head of the criminals, Teddy Bass (McShane, another great villain, less showy but infallibly lethal), a character turns out to be far more ruthless than Don Logan, bluffly tells Gal that "he knows what they did in Spain" and promises he will come to visit in the due future. Well, why there isn't a sequel to this? Parlaying his reputation as an eclectic music video director into this breakout debut, Glazer has concocted up a stunning-looking fare seeped with robust characterization, pulsating rhythm of montage, scintillating chromatic disposition and optimal pop taste, ultimately transmogrified it into a beguiling conglomerate of romanticism, perversity absurdity and bloody gallows humor like an arch cautionary tale: there is no easy way of going straight, so think twice before you get your feet wet!

Don "Malky" Logan: "I love you, Gal. You're lovable. Big lovable bloke."The story is about a former gangster who has made a modest amount of money from his criminal career. Happy to put his life of crime behind him, he has retired with his wife Deedee (Amanda Redman) to the sunny bliss of rural Spain, where he lives an idyllic life with his family and a few close friends. But Gary's contentment is ruptured by an unwelcome visitor from his past -- Don (Ben Kingsley), a former associate who has been hired to assemble a team of criminals to rob a heavily guarded bank. Don wants Gary in on the job, and is less than pleased by Gary's unwillingness to volunteer his services. What ensues is a battle of wills between the two men, with Don intimidating, prodding, and manipulating his onetime friend to get what he wants, forever changing the lives of those around him in the process.Jonathan Glazer seems to be like one of those directors that only direct's movies if he really wants to put in his pure passion, his soul and effort to do so, and how I know that is by looking at his other two movies that he made so far and those two movies have proved that he takes time with filming and he only picks the films that's right for him. Sexy Beast is another great example of that.Ray Winstone may play the same character in every movie that his in. Playing the tough angry British guy in every movie his in, but in this that's not the case, he actually played a character...wow. Ray Winstone is a good actor and I do like him has a person and I'm happy that he's in a movie that shows his talent. Great work Winstone.Ben Kingsley in this movie probably pulls off his best performance that I've seen him in. He plays the loud month guy that dose you head in and in a strange way I kind of like him, even when I shouldn't, it's like J.K Simmons in Whiplash where in that movie you got Fletcher a mean, ass-hole who you just want to hit but at the same time kind of like him and not fully hate him, and that's basically Kingsley in this movie. Kingsley is always brilliant in every movie but in this I think he really dose shine and in my opinion it's my favorite performance from him.Now for problems: My only little nick pick with this movie is the that in some scenes in this movie that was a little bit slow and that's it really.Overall Sexy Beast is a movie that's acted well, directed and shot beautifully and overall a well done film. But it's also a movie that not everyone is going to like, but everyone can agree to disagree of things.