Review of Sexy Beast (2001) by Ross B — 30 Jun 2012

Jonathan Glazer brings audiences this fast paced British gangster film that includes a great performance from Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley. Ray Winstone stars as Gary Dove, a retired gangster living in Spain who is visited by an old and dangerous former colleague named Don (Kingsley).

Don wants Gary to come back to England to do a job that he was hired to do by Teddy Bass (Ian McShane), and Don does not take no for an answer. The film is partially driven by Kingsley psychotic performance and it is at times weird to see the same man who played Gandhi talk and act the way he does in this film.

But at the same time, he is absolutely captivating to watch and commands the screen every time he is on. Winstone plays the more reserved character to the absolute insanity that is Don and it is truly great to see the two of them share the screen.

The film moves at a quick pace and clock it at just under 90 minutes. Kingsley earned a well deserved Oscar nod for this movie and the film as a whole is fun to watch. A worthwhile see for any fan of British gangster films.