Sexy Beast (2000)

Brutal gangster Don Logan recruits "retired" safecracker Gal for one last job, but it goes badly for both of them.

Director:

Jonathan Glazer

Writers:

Louis Mellis, David Scinto,

Stars:

Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 23 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Winstone	...	Gary 'Gal' Dove
Ben Kingsley	...	Don Logan
Ian McShane	...	Teddy Bass
Amanda Redman	...	Deedee Dove
James Fox	...	Harry
Cavan Kendall	...	Aitch
Julianne White	...	Jackie
Álvaro Monje	...	Enrique
Robert Atiko	...	Andy
Nieves del Amo Oruet	...	Air Hostess
Enrique Alemán Fabrega	...	Pilot
Gérard Barray	...	Spanish Official (as Gerard Barray)
José Maria Cano Ramos	...	Felipe's Friend 1 (as José Ma. Cano Ramos)
Desirée Erasmus	...	Jean
Santiago Frias Munoz	...	Policia 2

Storyline

Gal, Deedee, Aitch and Jackie, having left behind respective lives of ill-repute, bask in the sun of Spain and in the most essential brand of leisure. A hazy yarn of barbecues, beer and botched hunting expeditions make up their retirements, until a sudden and unforeseen disruption emerges from their past. Enter the childishly violent and hilariously edgy Don Logan. Through a series of side-splitting negotiations and irrevocable acts, retired crook Gal is forced to shake off the rust and accept one last mission, put forth by the menacing Logan, his ex-mentor. A heist of legendary proportion and personal implications, this job should make for one hell of an encore.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | spain | boulder | heist | safecracker | 

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Taglines:

There's a bit of the beast in all of us.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, strong violence and some sexuality

Details

Country:

UK Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 2001 (UK)

Also Known As:

Bestia salvaje

Filming Locations:

Action Under Water Studios, Hertford Road, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$170,356 (USA) (15 June 2001)

Gross:

$6,940,281 (USA) (21 December 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC), FilmFour, Kanzaman

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The boulder was made of fiberglass. A large net was kept open on the ledge of the pool so that if the boulder went over the pool, it would not continue down the hill into the village below. Additional shots involving the boulder were created digitally.

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Goofs

When Gal and Aitch are in the bedroom talking about how Don would handle the fact that Gal didn't accept his request, there is a mic visible on the upper left corner of the frame for the first half of the scene.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gal: [Gal is sunbathing by poolside] Oh, yeah. Bloody hell. I'm sweating in here. Roasting. Boiling. Baking. Sweltering. It's like a sauna. Furnace. You can fry an egg on my stomach. Ohh, who wouldn't lap this up? It's ridiculous. Tremendous. Fantastic. Fan-dabby-dozy-tastic.

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Crazy Credits

Special thanks to Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

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Connections

Referenced in Entourage: Fore (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Sway"
Performed by Dean Martin (1954)
Licensed courtesy of Capitol Records Inc / EMI Records Ltd
Written by Pablo Beltrán Ruiz (as Ruiz) / Norman Gimbel (as Gumble)
© 1953 by E.M.M.I. Mexico
1954 by Peer International Corp, USA
Latin American Music Pub Co Limited UK

User Reviews

Don't Provoke The Beast

This is one fascinating dark little film. Supported by fierce cinematography, black humour, chilling characters and strong language, 'Sexy Beast' works on many levels. It can be viewed as a conversational film, a study of characters and a psychological thriller. The writing is brilliant as some of the dialogues induce both humour and chill. The screenplay is pretty tight, leaving no place for loose ends or irrelevant subplots. Glazer's direction is wonderful as he keeps the viewer engaged throughout the entire 90 minutes and effectively infuses wicked humour and suspense. The characters are so interesting, while we hate Logan, we sympathize with his counterfeit Gal who is a retired gangster trying to live a straight life with his family and loyal friends. Logan desperately wants him to do a job but Gal bravely yet hesitantly turns it down. Logan won't give up and even he notices that everybody hates him (which is beginning to make him feel powerless). The cast deliver solid performances. Ray Winstone is amazing. He easily conveys Gal's complexity and dilemma with pathos. Ben Kingsley as the hatefully irritating and intimidating Logan is superb. Ian McShane is scary. Amanda Redman is electrifying in a smaller role. 'Sexy Beast' is one slick wicked little film. Not a movie for everyone, but worth watching for those who enjoy black humour and dark cinema.