Sexy Beast Review
by Jerry Saravia (faust668 AT aol DOT com)July 23rd, 2001
SEXY BEAST (2000)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
July 20th, 2001
I have declared my distaste for the postmodern Tarantino crime genre ad nauseam so I feel no need to continue voicing it. Nevertheless, a film like "Sexy Beast" usually comes marching along to ignite the genre beyond the usual expectations and boy, does it ever. "Sexy Beast" is a firecracker thriller, as intense and entertaining as "Reservoir Dogs" and about as menacing as "GoodFellas."
The opening scene sets in a different tone than expected. We see a man basking in the hot sun as he is lying on a chair near the pool. He starts using synonyms for his peace of mind and relaxation. Before you know it, a boulder comes crashing into his pool almost killing him in the process. His relaxation is over, as is the audiences'.
The man at peace in his glorious house and pool is Gal Dove (Ray Winstone), a retired gangster who is trying to sooth his nerves. Those nerves become jangled as the imminent arrival of a Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) is announced by Gal's close friends, an ex-gangster sidekick (Cavan Kendall) and his exotic blonde wife (Julianne White). Don Logan is feared by these people and rightly so. Logan has come to recruit Gal for one last heist in London, a job commisioned by a crime lord known as Teddy (Ian McShane). Problem is that Gal has no interest but boy, does Don try to persuade him. Persuasion and insistence are Don's codes of coercion - he will not take no for an answer. Don verbally and physically attacks everyone in his sight, including Gal and his former porn star wife (Amanda Redman), not to mention Gal's aforementioned friends. Never before have I witnessed a cliched plot device delivered so brilliantly in terms of desperation and sheer persuasion as shown here.
Eventually, Gal ends up in London to perform the complicated heist, which involves a highly secure bank and a Turkish bath! Teddy is the mastermind of this heist and also inquisitive and persuasive, particularly involving the mysterious disappearance of Don. This all results in one of the most conniving, cunning and surprising climaxes I've seen in eons.
Ben Kingsley is clearly the marvel of the film, a supreme scene-stealer. His startling, piercing eyes and thick East End London accent will drive you bonkers wishing he would just disappear. It is a performance of amazing intensity, all the more amazing coming from Kingsley who has played bona fide saints in "Gandhi" and "Schindler's List." He did play a suave gangster in "Bugsy" and left a haunting impression in "Death and the Maiden," but neither role can prepare you for what is easily the toughest villain since Joe Pesci's trigger-happy act in "GoodFellas."
Ray Winstone is also as assured as the quiet, implosive Gal. He wants out of the crime world but one gets the sneaky suspicion that he craves the leisure and laid-back living it can provide. Only someone like Don has given him reason to quit for good and ever.
One final performance that left me riveted was Ian McShane's icy, cold-blooded Teddy - a character that is as dangerous and steely-eyed as Don. Combining these two magnificent performances in one film can create terror in everyone's mind for months on end. They would make James Bond's heart palpitate.
"Sexy Beast" is directed by first-timer Jonathan Glazer, whose background is in directing music videos. One would expect jump cuts galore and lots of loud rock music from the Guy Ritchie crime school. Glazer eschews the in-your-face style for a more formal, stable palette of fixed compositions (the swimming pool even looks menacing at times). His focus is also on the characters, and the best scenes are when Don and Gal are sitting by an umbrella table by the pool as the sun sets its glow on Don's bald head. It is moments of that nature that bring an unsettling tension to the film. No one-liners or clever postmodern, wink-it's-only-a-movie moments that would cut away from the tension. Glazer is as graceful and composed as most seasoned directors.
"Sexy Beast" is not as much a heist film as it is about people involved in an emotional crisis and mood swinging tempos, especially Gal's wife who loves her husband dearly yet feels threatened as does everyone in the film. Exceptionally performed, directed and photographed, "Sexy Beast" is like no crime film I've seen before - a surreal, sometimes mind-bending trip into the allure of crime and the leisure it offers. There are unforeseen obstacles and sometimes it is less than glamorous in the underworld. When someone like Don Logan comes along, there may be no way out.
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