X
- 2001
- R
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 29 m
- 2001
- R
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 29 m
Summary The story of one man's dangerous journey from peace of mind to paranoid panic when he's lured out of an idyllic retirement back to the gangster life. (Fox Searchlight)
Directed By: Jonathan Glazer
Written By: Louis Mellis, David Scinto
- 2001
- R
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 29 m
- 2001
- R
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 29 m
Sexy Beast
79
7.9
Where to Watch
Summary The story of one man's dangerous journey from peace of mind to paranoid panic when he's lured out of an idyllic retirement back to the gangster life. (Fox Searchlight)
Directed By: Jonathan Glazer
Written By: Louis Mellis, David Scinto
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
79
93% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
3% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
79
93% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
3% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Carries so much impacted menace and visual narrative gamesmanship that it brought back some of the excitement I felt nearly a decade ago watching Quentin Tarantino's ''Reservoir Dogs.''
Though it can overreach for emotional effect and overplay its hand at times -- Sexy Beast brings considerable virtues to telling this tale, including a great eye for faces and director Glazer's palpable excitement at working in the feature medium.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 46 User Ratings
7.9
85% Positive
39 Ratings
39 Ratings
13% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
2% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 46 User Ratings
7.9
85% Positive
39 Ratings
39 Ratings
13% Mixed
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
2% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
One of, if not the best movie of 2001.
A crime drama that is beautifully shot and exceptionally well written. Led by Ben Kingsley's portrayal of Don Logan, one of the scariest characters ever seen on the big screen.
A movie that ever in it's quiet moments is filled with fear.
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He's (Kingsley) pure violence, a sociopath who radiates menace even while sitting perfectly still mouthing pleasantries.
Noir has never been this bright.
A Molotov cocktail of a movie, an engaging conflagration of British B-flick, cockney wit and gallows humor. There's even a delicate little love story in there.
A smart, funny, stylish and very violent British gangster movie.
In the end, I'm wondering what's so special about a film that has but one guilty pleasure and that's Ben Kingsley spraying saliva-lubricated variants of the F-word into the atmosphere like anti-aircraft fire for 10 solid minutes.
The closest thing to a perfect movie that I've found. There's too many great things about it to list here. Here's one interesting nuance. If you want to know the key to the power of Ben Kingsley's performance, it is not actually Ben Kingsley (though he is wonderful). Watch the movie up until Kingsley's arrival and then turn it off. Tell me then what you would think of Don Logan had he never made an appearance in the movie. Watch everyone's reaction at the table when Jackie says "It was Don Logan" who called for Gal. This director created an unbelievable monster of a character in Don Logan before he entered frame. It is in this way that Jonathan Glazer is largely responsible for the character of Don Logan. And why Ben Kingsley was able to spend most of his performance not raising his voice and seem utterly terrifying. Brilliant example of a director defining a character by the other character's reactions to him. Only one of the trillion great things about this film.
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The other day, my lady Tammy and I watched director Glazer's recent 'Under the Skin' and loved its otherworldly wackiness and ambience, and as I had his first two films on DVD, we decided that at the very least, this first one demanded immediate investigation. I've adored Ray Winstone's work since his early days working in the films of Sir Alan Clarke, and Ben Kingsley's always a treat. Watching the characters brought back such awesome memories of my teenage days, travelling throughout England and continental Europe in December, 1986, as well. We can't wait to hopefully check out 'Birth' later this week...This was definitely one of the best and most original British gangster movies since the likes of 'The Long Good Friday' and 'Mona Lisa' from that era...
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Despite the lack of thrills, Sexy Beast still manages to be compelling due to the fact that it is completely unlike every other "gangster" film you have ever seen. While there is some violence, the emphasis is certainly not on it, rather it is on the characters here. Featuring great performances from Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley, this one is quite subtle, but does think it is smarter than it really is at times. In director Jonathan Glazer's latest film, Under the Skin, I had the same complaint I do here in that he tries to make it seem deeper than it really is. His debut feature is far more enjoyable for me, but still features that same problem. Plus, some scenes were a little overdone and could have just been done normally. Glazer tries to outdo himself at times and it winds up hurting the overall product. In spite of that, Winstone and Kingsley were amazing and their chemistry is what made this film. As a whole, Sexy Beast is a good gangster flick that does try too hard at times, but when it stays focused, it is quite compelling.
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Ben Kingsley appears to use his role as the psychotic gangster Don Logan purely as an exercise in variety in this crime drama that ends up playing out more like a senseless stage production than a movie. Some suave surrealism and a biting humor keep the film interesting, but not enough to save it.
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Production Company
Recorded Picture Company (RPC),
FilmFour,
Fox Searchlight Pictures,
Kanzaman
Release Date Jun 13, 2001
Duration 1 h 29 m
Rating R
Tagline Yes or Yes?
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
British Independent Film Awards
• 4 Wins & 5 Nominations
