Sexy Beast (2000)

Director: Jonathan Glazer

Starring: Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley & Ian McShane

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: Sometimes It's Hard To Say No

Plot: Brutal gangster Don Logan recruits retired safe cracker Gal for one last job. Gal isn't interested but finds it increasingly difficult to tell that to a man who does not take 'no' for an answer.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Would I watch it again? Does the Pope Shit in the woods? Yep.


I've only seen this 3 or 4 times since I first saw it about 9 years ago and, regardless of how long it has been, it always feels as if it were yesterday. It's that fresh. If you dig a good British ganster picture, you need to see SEXY BEAST! If you like to see great actors at work (specifically Kingsley), you need to see SEXY BEAST! If you are looking for something different than the typical Hollywood bullshit, you need to see SEXY BEAST! For fuck's sake, if you love movies, YOU NEED TO SEE SEXY BEAST!!!


I should probably stop there but I can't. First of all, Ben Kingsley is one motherfucker of an actor (SPECIES (1995), notwithstanding). Watch him in GANDHI and then check this one out. It'll be tough to believe it's the same guy. I'm not saying one performance is any less than the other but he probably couldn't play two roles that are as far apart from each other as those two. His role in SB as Don Logan is so savagely raw it's frightening. He's literally a human attack dog. He's ferocious.


One of the many things I like about this film is how good the cast is. Every role is spot on. The relationship between Gal (pronounced Gayle, played by Winstone) and his wife and their married best friends is strong. Their performances are so strong that they've got you afraid of Logan before he shows his face.

Glazer's direction is fantastic, especially when you consider it's his first film! Seriously, just stop reading and watch the damn thing. It's 89 minutes of solid film making from start to finish. There are so many things you just don't see in films these days. It's fresh, unique and funny as hell. When you're done watching it you'll have a giant grin on your face. I guarantee it or my name ain't Nathan Arizona!

Oh, and I can't go without mentioning IAN Mc"FUCKING"SHANE!!! Badass. This movie's full of badasses.


Great use of music (score and songs), too. Fit's like a glove. And the wives...I really like how their wives are not the typical young & hot cookie cutter broads you usually see. These two actresses are in the 40s but look like they've been ridden hard and put up to dry. All of the actors' faces look like they've got lots of hard stories to tell. You'll never get anything like that out of Angelina Jolie or Zac Efron or whoever the flavor of the week fucktards are.


You need to see SEXY BEAST. It's one hell of a thrill ride that'll have you appreciating what it's like to discover a 'hidden gem'. Once you've completed that homework assignment you can visit the British gangster classic, THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (1980) with a career-making performance by Bob Hoskins.

And for as much as I absolutely love Guy Ritchie's LOCK, STOCK & TWO SMOKING BARRELS and SNATCH, SB feels like the more mature older brother the other two want to grow up to be just like.