Sexy Beast Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)October 29th, 2001
SEXY BEAST (2000) / ***
Directed by Jonathan Glazer. Screenplay by Louis Mellis and David Scinto. Starring Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane. Running time: 87 minutes. Rated R for offensive language by the MFCB. Reviewed on October 28th, 2001.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Gary "Gal" Dove (Winstone) is a retired British criminal living in a Spanish villa. When a former associate, Teddy (McShane), decides to pull off a daring robbery, he wants Gal in as part of his team, and despatches the sinister Don Logan (Kingsley) to reel Gal in. Gal is determined not to step out of retirement, but nobody says no to Don Logan...
Review: Ben Kingsley has long since demonstrated his versatility as an actor, with roles as dissimilar as Meyer Lansky in "Bugsy" and Dr Watson in "Without A Clue". As Don Logan, Kingsley enjoys what may well be his most memorable performance since he took on the title role in "Gandhi". To describe Logan as villainous, or maniacal, or frightening would be to understate: Kingsley has created a figure of singular psychosis. He is a man who breeds terror, to whom it is virtually impossible to say no. One of the central issues in "Sexy Beast" is Gal's determination to turn down Teddy's offer; were Logan played by a lesser actor, his reluctance to do so might seem unlikely. But Logan is so fearsome an individual, it is easy understand exactly what Gal is going through. Winstone does a fine job as Gal, engendering a certain amount of audience sympathy without losing his edginess. Gal is not a particularly nice man, but his motives are not altogether impure, and certainly he is angelic compared to Logan. With its delightful smart-comedy script (an underwater bank robbery ends on a particularly hilarious note) and Glazer's hyperkinetic direction, "Sexy Beast" will remind many of Guy Ritchie's crime films. But the emphasis here in on character instead of plot, and in the hands of actors like Kingsley and Winstone, this sets the movie a notch above the rest.
Copyright © 2001 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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