| | | Sometimes it's hard to say no.
When sociopathic gangster Don Logan (Kingsley) tries to recruit an ex-partner in crime (Ray Winstone) for a high-stakes heist back to London, the retired criminal refuses, favoring the legit life after serving a prison term. But Logan won't take no for an answer. Tension hits the fever-pitch as this battle of wills plays out in a story that is as funny as it is terrifying.
"A marvelously suspenseful character study wrapped up in a refreshingly tight crime film." Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
"Ben Kingsley deserves an Oscar nomination!" Joel Siegel, Good Morning America
"Riveting and sexy." Lou Lumenick, New York Post
"Ben Kingsley is the most savage, mad-dog, frothing gangster in recent movies.
" Roger Ebert, The Chicago-Sun Times
"Ben Kingsley is unforgettably menacing as "the anti-Gandhi".
" The New Yorker
"One of the 10 best films of the year!" Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone
"Ben Kingsley delivers "his best performance ever" in this high-voltage film that crackles with style and wit.
" Premiere Magazine
Editor's Note
Jonathan Glazer, the award-winning director of advertisements and music videos, presents his feature film debut with this lushly photographed, expertly written, and brilliantly performed convention-defying British gangster film. SEXY BEAST jettisons the slickness of the LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS school in favor of intricate character development. In its opening shot, Gary "Gal" Dove (Ray Winstone)--a big-bellied ex-gangster with a cockney accent--is sunning himself pool side at his luxe villa on Spain's Costa Del Sol when a gigantic boulder hurtles down a hillside, almost killing him. This near miss serves as a troublesome portent, but it hardly affects Gal, who is immersed in his tranquil life with wife Deedee (Amanda Redman), who he adores with earnest fervor. However, Gal's peace is soon shattered by the arrival of Don Logan (Ben Kingsley, using his shaved skull, spare frame, and ramrod posture to pose as an anti-Gandhi), a brutal former accomplice looking to recruit Gal for a heist. A battle of wills ensues when Gal refuses to leave retirement, and the frighteningly intense Don refuses to take no for an answer. Glazer expertly heightens the film's tension using shifts in the pacing and flashbacks, while Kingsley and Winstone imbue their characters with gorgeous life.
| Features | Full Frame - 1.33 |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
|  | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 8/20/2002 |
| Running Time: 89 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2001 | | Catalog ID: 2004723 | | UPC: 00024543047230 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (2002) | | | Ben Kingsley, Nominee, Best Supporting Actor | |
Golden Globe (2002) | | | Ben Kingsley, Nominee, Best Supporting Actor |
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| | Professional Reviews | Premiere
"...This is Kingsley's best performance in years, maybe his best ever....SEXY BEAST is a deft, remarkably tight [film]..." 06/01/2001 p.89-91Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...The cast is uniformly excellent....This is a highly imaginative piece of filmmaking -- and one hell of a scary ride..." 06/01/2001 p.39 Film Comment
"...SEXY BEAST sizzles....[The film] constantly surprises, unfolding and reinventing itself in unexpected ways..." 03/01/2001 p.16-7 Rolling Stone
"...It's Kinsley who will fire you up. He's dynamite. Ditto the movie..." 07/05/2001 p.150 USA Today
"...Its casting is so right and its 90-minute pacing so crisp that what emerges is one of the year's few sleepers..." -- 3 1/2 out of 4 stars 06/13/2001 p.4D New York Times
"...[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..." 06/13/2001 p.E1 Los Angeles Times
"...Style that burns....SEXY BEAST also has a strong plot and a pair of excellent performances..." 06/13/2001 p.2 |
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