Sexy Beast

Jonathan Glazer’s debut, Sexy Beast follows Ray Winstone’s Gal as his retirement from crime is interrupted by the unexpected (and unwelcome) arrival of a fearsome old cohort named Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) – with the film subsequently detailing the planning and eventual execution of a caper to rob a bank. It’s a fairly familiar setup that could have, by all rights, been executed to entertaining yet by-the-numbers effect, but it’s clear virtually from the word go that first-time filmmaker Glazer has something far more off-kilter and stylish in mind – as Sexy Beast, for the majority of its refreshingly brisk 89 minutes, comes off as a thoroughly novel spin on a well-worn premise that boasts an often astonishing assortment of above-average elements. Ranking high on the movie’s list of agreeable attributes is undoubtedly Kingsley’s ferocious and completely spellbinding turn as the intimidating antagonist, with the actor delivering an intense, dialed-up-to-11 performance that admittedly does impact the effectiveness of those scenes in which his character is absent (ie Kingsley’s almost distractingly good here, ultimately). The effectiveness of the inevitable heist ensures that Sexy Beast closes with an impressively tense stretch, which does, in the end, cement the picture’s place as a visceral, mostly captivating thriller that features one of modern cinema’s very best villains.

***1/2 out of ****