Review of Sexy Beast (2001) by Kishor C — 29 Aug 2010
Ben Kingsley gives a ferocious pit bull of a performance as Don Logan; seeing him in his much-lauded central performance as the Mahatma or, more recently, his alarmingly effective performance as the stentorian Behrani in House of Sand and Fog, and then seeing him here as that profanity-spewing raptor of a mafia hit-man is almost surreal.
This is a flawless, gut-wrenching performance from filthy beginning to bloody end. For those reasons, Kingsley got all the attention for Sexy Beast, but Ray Winstone, easily one of the most accomplished character actors working in film today, is riveting as Gal.
Where Kingsley is heinous, Winstone is nuanced and subtle; his transition from devil-may-care playboy to oppressed mafia soldier is fascinating. Ian McShane, always pitch-perfect, is wondrously, portentously serpentine as Teddy Bess.
Cavan Kendall and James Fox (effete in his limited scenes as Harry) are both excellent. Jonathan Glazer, who also crafted the sumptuous 2004 film Birth, directs with Luciferian wit and elan. A magnificent, snarling masterwork.
This review of Sexy Beast (2001) was written by Kishor C on 29 Aug 2010.
Sexy Beast has generally received very positive reviews.
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