Sexy Beast Details

On the surface, this looks like just another Ray Winstone “gangster” movie — but appearances can be deceiving. Winstone is in relatively restrained mode as retired crook Gary, now living the life of Riley on the Costa del Crime. He's content to play second fiddle to a terrifying and transfixing performance by Ben Kingsley as Don, the psychopathic hardman sent to “persuade” him back to Blighty for one last job. Debuting director Jonathan Glazer made his name in advertising — he was the man behind the “Swimmer” and “Surfer” Guinness commercials — and his visual flair is evident here. The idyllic Spanish settings nicely counterpoint the growing sense of menace as cat-and-mouse games spiral towards an inevitable act of violence. The tension slackens a little in the film's later stages, when the riveting confrontation between the stars gives way to a slick but improbable caper subplot. But it's worth the ticket price just to see Kingsley, whose supreme acting skills produce a truly memorable screen psycho. Watching Gandhi will never seem the same again.

"...[Kingsley's] performance jolts the movie like an exposed high-voltage wire....[Glazer] clearly has a knack for quick visual thinking and a snappy rhythmic sense..."