Review: Sexy Beast

Ray Winstone plays a retired gangland figure softened and tanning himself in sunny Spain with his ballsy wife Amanda Redman. An acquaintance (Cavan Kendall, who sadly died before the film’s release) brings news of the impending arrival of Winstone’s former boss (Sir Ben Kingsley), who has a job offer for Winstone back in London. Winstone isn’t interested. Kingsley isn’t interested in the word ‘no’. Kingsley is a volcano about to erupt in explosive, venomous profane tirades delivered in an ear-shatteringly loud manner towards the imposing-looking but laidback Winstone. Kingsley’s a scary fucker in small packaging, basically, even if his rantings aren’t always grammatically correct (My favourite being a response to Winstone turning the opportunity down: ‘You’ve got to turn this opportunity YES!’). Ian McShane plays the leader of the proposed criminal enterprise, whilst James Fox turns up briefly as the owner of a bank, whom McShane is attempting to dupe by pretending to be romantically interested in him.

 

Foul-mouthed, entertaining mixture of gangster pic and black comedy from 2001 directed by debutant Jonathan Glazer (“Birth”, “Under the Skin”) benefits from top-drawer performances by Ray Winstone and cast-against-type Sir Ben Kingsley. Winstone is perfectly cast as the crass, sun-tanning Brit in Spain. The opening scene hilariously introducing him and his pasty fat body as the title ‘Sexy Beast’. For some reason, that obvious ironic joke went over a lot of peoples’ heads. If you don’t think Ray Winstone has one of cinema’s greatest speaking voices, then you and I don’t have much use for one another, I’d say. However, the film truly comes alive when Gandhi himself, Ben Kingsley turns up as the diminutive but extraordinarily intimidating gangster. The venomous tirades are frightening enough, but his stillness and fixed gaze are also seriously unsettling…and yet funny too. His violently, psychotically stubborn character is a terrific movie creation, that is as frightening as he is hilarious- a tricky balance! Even the sight of Kingsley taking a piss with his hands on his hips is funny to me. It’s the kind of brilliant performance that makes you mad that Kingsley has pretty much pissed his career away outside of this film, “Schindler’s List”, and of course “Gandhi”.

 

To be honest, I think the film works best if you take it as a dark comedy. I mean, the only one here who isn’t scared of Kingsley is Amanda Redman, which is hilarious. The funniest moment in the film is probably when Kingsley is asked to put out his cigarette while on a plane. It goes comically poorly. I have to say, it’s pretty amazing how much the normally hardened and explosive Winstone tones it down here opposite the volatile Kingsley. Meanwhile, the soundtrack and the music score by Roque Banos are really good, giving the film a pulse. The big ‘heist’ is truly nuts, unlike anything I’ve seen before, so it’s a shame that the film is so short and doesn’t focus on it much. If there’s any real flaw, though, it’s with the unnecessary visual flourishes/dream sequences that just don’t seem to belong. It was Glazer’s first film, so perhaps he wanted to show off a bit (he came from a music vid background prior to this), but it isn’t to the benefit of the film.

 

I would’ve liked a few more scenes with James Fox, and particularly the very fine Ian McShane (who steals his every scene), whose characters aren’t really in the film enough to be fleshed out. Other than that, I don’t have an issue with the screenplay by first-time screenwriters Louis Mellis (who went on to write the bizarro western “Blueberry”) and David Scinto (who did not). One of the better Guy Ritchie-era British gangster movies, but this one really does work best when not taken too seriously. Winstone is excellent, Kingsley is incredible. 

 

Rating: B-