Review of Sexy Beast (2001) by Ellen W — 01 Feb 2009

Several years on there is slightly less to this film than first percieved, serving largely as a relaunch of his career for a canny Kingsley as the Id incarnate Don Logan. Winstone however gives a complex, multi-layered and much overlooked performance in this flashy, clever, quick witted but ultimately some what shallow film that has a glitzy childish glee in its sharp handedness but fails to become a real classic.

As something to put on in the background, it is very succesful, and the two leads contribute some wonderful scenes that will be played back forever. It's a shame the rather tired plot, and a bizarely out of place McShane, have to intrude later in the narrative.

The first half is by far the best, but this is a sharp pretender rather than a heavyweight.