Ex-criminal Ray Winstone's idyllic retirement is disrupted when Ben Kingsley asks, nay demands, that he do one more job. Another Brit-gangster flick. No wait, come back!
While there may come a time when Ray Winstone is known for playing bespectacled nuclear physicists rather than cockney criminals it has to be said that this is most definitely not it. Nor is the casting of Winstone the only predictable thing about Sexy Beast, being the tale of retired Costa Del Crime blagger Gary 'Gal' Dove (Winstone) tempted out of retirement for one last job.
Where Sexy Beast starts to deviate from the norm is in the casting of Ben Kingsley as Don Logan, the man doing the tempting. Given that Logan is a full-on 24/7 psychopath who rapidly sets about putting a hob-nailed boot through the blissful existence which Gal has created with wife DeeDee (Redman) the obvious approach would have been to cast someone capable of physically going-head-to-head - not to mention belly-to-belly - with Winstone.
Yet, like Anthony Hopkins in the Hannibal movies, what Kingsley lacks in brute strength he more than makes up for in the mind games department. The nerve-rending scenes in which the onetime Gandhi attempts to wear down his reluctant 'friend' show that director Glazer's graduation from directing pop promos is well overdue. To expand more plot-wise would be to spoil the fun except to say that, while things go predictably awry, they do so in a nicely unpredictable manner.
Mention should also be made of the excellent supporting cast, not least Ian McShane who puts in the kind of out-there-where-the-trains-don't-go performance that will make you look at those 'Lovejoy' repeats in an entirely new light.
Verdict Stands head and shoulders above the late 90s flurry of British gangster movies. Stylish and confident and built upon a fearsome performance from Ben Kinglsey.
While there may come a time when Ray Winstone is known for playing bespectacled nuclear physicists rather than cockney criminals it has to be said that this is most definitely not it. Nor is the casting of Winstone the only predictable thing about Sexy Beast, being the tale of retired Costa Del Crime blagger Gary 'Gal' Dove (Winstone) tempted out of retirement for one last job.
Where Sexy Beast starts to deviate from the norm is in the casting of Ben Kingsley as Don Logan, the man doing the tempting. Given that Logan is a full-on 24/7 psychopath who rapidly sets about putting a hob-nailed boot through the blissful existence which Gal has created with wife DeeDee (Redman) the obvious approach would have been to cast someone capable of physically going-head-to-head - not to mention belly-to-belly - with Winstone.
Yet, like Anthony Hopkins in the Hannibal movies, what Kingsley lacks in brute strength he more than makes up for in the mind games department. The nerve-rending scenes in which the onetime Gandhi attempts to wear down his reluctant 'friend' show that director Glazer's graduation from directing pop promos is well overdue. To expand more plot-wise would be to spoil the fun except to say that, while things go predictably awry, they do so in a nicely unpredictable manner.
Mention should also be made of the excellent supporting cast, not least Ian McShane who puts in the kind of out-there-where-the-trains-don't-go performance that will make you look at those 'Lovejoy' repeats in an entirely new light.
Verdict Stands head and shoulders above the late 90s flurry of British gangster movies. Stylish and confident and built upon a fearsome performance from Ben Kinglsey.