Sexy Beast (2000)

Director:

Jonathan Glazer

Writers:

Louis Mellis (written by) and
David Scinto (written by)

Release Date:

12 January 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Sometimes It's Hard To Say No

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Spain | Boulder | Barbecue | Heist

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 19 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Sexy Beast (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, strong violence and some sexuality.

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

UK | Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:18 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

FilmFour

Trivia:

Ben Kingsley claims the character of Don Logan is largely based on his grandmother.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As DeeDee walks from the pool to the house, a crew member is reflected in the window behind her.

Quotes:

Don: Talk to me, Gal. I'm here for you. I'm a good listener.
Gal: What can I say, Don? I've said it all. I'm retired.
Don: Shut up.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 50 Films to See Before You Die (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Lujon

Ben Kingsley is worth the rental price alone!

To put it simply: I love this movie! I've really been looking forward to this movie, mostly because of Kingsley's acclaimed performance. And he is indeed brilliant in the role of the brash, uninhibited, shamelessly ruthless Don Logan--a role that should go down in history. I haven't seen Jim Broadbent's performance in "Iris," so I can't technically say if Kingsley deserved the Oscar over him, but I'm glad he got nominated, because it would be an abomination if he didn't. Kingsley is absolutely terrifying, not showing a bit of remorse. And it's a real joy to see the man who's famous for playing the well-known pacifist Gandhi take on a role which requires him to spout the "f" word 500 times in one whole minute. OK, I may have been exaggerating there, but believe me...there are scenes in this movie that make "Pulp Fiction" look like a G-rated Disney feature. Let's just say I've never heard the "f" word used so many times, at such a lightning-fast pace. Kingsley has some memorable moments, including one where he gets in trouble for smoking on a plane, and cops an alibi involving the male flight attendants sexually abusing him. As cruel as he is, I found myself laughing hysterically at Don. As Kingsley said himself, Don is the type of character who says the kind of things that are on most people's minds, but they're too afraid to let it out.

Though Kinglsey steals the film, Ray Winstone is the star and he's also great. I haven't seen a great many English films, so I don't remember seeing him before, but now I hope to see him in more films. And I was impressed to find out the movie was made by a first-time director. Jonathan Glazer did a terrific job, creating a gloriously frenetic pace. The running time is a succinct 85 minutes, and the film never takes a breath. It always captures you with in-your-face images. Glazer's sense of style is amazing. Not to mention the soundtrack is excellent. It's a nice irony: how this dark comedy ends to the tune of Dean Martin's "Sway."

On my first viewing, it took time for me to get accustomed to the cockney accents, but after approximately 30 minutes I was able to decipher most of the dialogue--and the film has some great, memorable dialogue! It's not like with "Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels" where I can watch it 100 times and still need subtitles. Not to mention "Sexy Beast" is a much more entertaining film.

All I can say is don't expect an intricate plot, with many twists and turns. The plot is all pretty simple: Retired gangster lounges around his beautiful house in Spain, then gets persuaded into doing one last heist. I'm sure that sounds very familiar. But the beauty is in its simplicity. And the film isn't in any way pretentious. It is what it is--and what it is is a smart, energetic, entertaining, hilarious, extremely well-acted dark comedy.

My score: 8 (out of 10)