Sexy Beast Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Sometimes It's Hard To Say No
There's a bit of the beast in all of us.
Spain. Gal has retired from the gangster life, and is sunning himself placidly beside the pool at his villa when a boulder comes crashing by, barely missing him. Soon, he and his pal Aitch, together with their wives Deedee and Jackie, are being threatened by a human boulder, Don Logan. Logan wants Gal for a high stakes vault break-in in London (masterminded by the cool and suave Teddy Bass), and he will not take no for an answer. Nevertheless, that's exactly the answer Gal keeps giving him, even as Don gets more and more threatening. Meanwhile, Gal is plagued by dreams of a menacing, hairy beast. Just how far will Don (and Gal) go in this battle of wills? And what of Enrique, the pool boy?
| Ray Winstone | Gary 'Gal' Dove |
| Ben Kingsley | Don Logan |
| Ian McShane | Teddy Bass |
| James Fox | Harry |
| Cavan Kendall | Aitch |
| Álvaro Monje | Enrique |
| Robert Atiko | Andy |
| Enrique Alemán Fabrega | Pilot |
| Gérard Barray | Spanish Official |
| José Maria Cano Ramos | Felipe's Friend 1 |
| Santiago Frias Munoz | Policia 2 |
| José Hernández | Ginger Air Steward |
| Andy Lucas | Jimmy |
| José Lirola Ramos | Policia 1 |
| José López Carrillo | Felipe's Friend #2 |
7.00 out of 10 (13261 votes)
Visitor Reviews
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
posted on 25 Jul 2009-If you think watching the movie will explain the title then you're mistaking. The title has nothing to do with the movie, it's just there to grab attention of those who might overlook it if it had a different name. honestly if this movie was called "Snowy Pastures" I wouldn't waste two seconds on it no matter how amazing it is.-So the flick is about a retired bank robber whose leading a good life, has a beautiful wife who use to be porn star, and two loyal friends whose been with him for a long time. But his perfect tranquil life is interrupted by Don Logan whose is stunningly played by the great Ben Kingsley. He as arrived to fetch the retired bank robber so he can help his old friends break into a bank. The next 50 minutes of the movie focuses on Don trying to convince his old friend to come out of retirement, and Don being the hard edged no nonsense, bald headed Brit that he is makes his life a leaving hell for the next couple of days.-Don Logan is probably the most intriguing movie character I've ever seen. He's smart, witty, and uses the "F" word as much as he uses the word "the". He is a tiny little man but can still bully the big boys. his character intro is probably the best ever done in a movie, and his accent is just beyond lovely. it really shows what a genius Kingsley is, for him to go from playing Gandhi to playing this morose motherlover is just amazing.-The only disappointment with the movie is that after all that tense build up the climax is a bit weak. They did a perfect job for about 85% of the movie, but the last act is a bit of a letdown. Doesn't mean that it's a bad movie though, matter fact this is one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in a while, but it's just that I wish they had spent more time on the last couple of minutes in the movie. It is a fun movie, the type you watch with your friends when in a great mood, and just want to a great movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. -With terrific acting by the great Ben Kingsley and a wonderfully charming story this is a must see for movie fans everywhere.
A great performance by Ben Kinglsey
posted on 17 Jul 2009Sexy Beast is an intelligent British gangster flick that is one part character study and one part heist movie. The film begins in a luxurious Spanish villa, home of Gary Dove, and ex-gangster. From the films title sequence and also the boulder scene it is clear from the beginning that this isn't a film that takes itself too seriously. But when Don Logan, played by Ben Kinglsey, comes into the picture a battle of wits ensues between the unhinged Don and Gary. Ben has come to Spain to convince Gary to take part in a heist back in England but the retired gary is reluctant as he has settled down to his life in the villa. However he is eventually forced to and arrives in England to do the job. At this point the film becomes a standard British heist flick though entertaining, in my opinion it lost a bit of steam at this point in contrast to the first half of the film which is gripping due to Ben Kingsleys funny and frightening performance as physcotic gangster Don. Ben Kingsley was nominated for an Oscar for this performance and he definitely deserved to as it was brilliant performance which gave an entertaining gangster film much more depth and meaning.
Potential, but thats it.
posted on 05 Jul 2009This film has strong acting, and directing, but the budget is too small. A lot of potential, and no money to utilize it. The story is ok, but the film becomes theater drama instead of a film. A few years later no one will know of this films existence. 5/10
Did you expect gangsters to talk like Mickey Mouse?
posted on 27 Jun 2009The so-called Americans (we Mexicans are also Americans, we're not Asians or Africans that I know...)express their comments in a very funny and biased way. They focus on profanity or accent instead of doing so on analyzing virtues or defects of a film. It looks unfair to complaint about how many F words appear instead of considering Kingsley's art, why underlying the undeniable tension masterly crafted during some scenes while remarking the low-life London accent. Did you expect gangsters to talk in a very soft manner?Personally, I found the film very enjoyable, though not free of flaws, for example, what´s the origin of the tremendous power Logan exercises over all the characters?. The film also shows to deflate when Logan dies, but in my opinion, it was worth paying the ticket just to enjoy the acting, especially Kingsley who was astounding (even for those who say that screeching it's not acting, try to pull Kingsley away from the film...)
A brilliantly acted and directed tight British drama.
posted on 07 Jun 2009I just saw this film for the second time and it was as captivating and intense as the first time I saw it. Ben Kingsley is brilliant in his portrayal as an evil London gangster. The rest of the cast play off him superbly. This is a very good movie and is so well acted and directed that it deserved bigger audience. I give it 4 1/2 * out of 5.
One word: Kingsley.
posted on 05 Jun 2009The movie is drab and a bore, making it hard to maintain interest even with some clever storytelling and colorful characters. There is no cause to care or like any of these characters though. There is no conviction in most of the actors, underlining what you have known all along: this movie sucks. Wait a minute, I'm talking about the second half. Ben Kingsley stole (or saved depending on how you view it) the show.Retired mobster Gal, gets a visit from DON LOGAN to be asked to do one last job in London, England.Ben Kingsley's performance as Don Logan is one of the best performances I've seen. He holds a presence with his madness and maintains fear because he can snap in a minute. I have to agree with Ebert, he is very much like a pitbull and any actor wannabes should study this role. With a movie that deserves nothing more than a 1 gets a 5 simply because of Kingsley.
One of the best films of 2000/2001
posted on 01 Jun 2009"Sexy Beast" is one of the best romantic movies ever made because romance is what guides the explosive action from beginning to end. This movie avoids bludgeoning us with the requisite chick movie soft-glow shots of pretty boys and girls (though Deedee is easy enough on the eyes), and load-of-crap about "eternal love". Instead "Sexy Beast" only has to deliver glimpses of realistic, blissful romantic love because the acting is so strong and natural that is all that is needed to convey the depth of emotional attachment that makes the formidable obstacles posed by Don, Teddy and the "last job."The cinema photography is impeccable. Some "wows" off the top of my head: boulder sequence, floating in night sky underwater embrace, teddy as rabbitman dream sequence, underwater deposit box robbery!!!! (There are more, of yes there are.) Yeah, it has some video/advertising tinges to it, but the touches serve the film superbly.Dialogue is hilarious and playful. The film's pace is fast, but not overly so. The plot is somewhat familiar, but executed so deftly with such fantastic acting that the familiar seemed new.The acting was incredible all around. Perfect casting. I fluctuate daily about who was a better villain, Teddy or Don. Teddy had the inner cool/evil thing going; Don had the wounded pitbull fire burning in his belly. Gal endeared me from the first frame and retained my sympathy and support til the last. All the supporting parts (including the crime gang bit players) were top of the mark .Simply put this is the best movie of 2001 so far, and one of the best movies of all time. I've seen it 3 times so far and want to see it again and again and again.
one of the most awful movies i've seen...
posted on 06 May 2009I think i'll not succeed in watching this film one more time... I don't even remember a scene in this movie that i've appreciated. no story, no interest, nothing. clearly nothing. One of the films that give you mistrust in professionnal movie critics...
SEXY BEAST (Jonathan Glazer, 2000) **1/2
posted on 27 Feb 2009Despite the accolades this one has received, I wasn't all that impressed with it: for a gangster film, there's little action (though the underwater robbery was certainly a novel idea) - the rest is mere posturing (a common factor with modern British efforts in the genre...but I did like its injections of surrealism!) and endless talk (a lot of which is unintelligible anyway, due to the heavy accents and the overwhelming soundtrack)!! Performances are mannered - Oscar-nominated Ben Kingsley above all - making the characters insufferable rather than tough or scary! It's watchable, well enough made (i.e. not overdone - being former music-video director Glazer's debut feature) and mercifully short.
Sexy Beast is a great ride
posted on 17 Feb 2009This movie is a great hour and a half ride. There are some true edge of your seat moments and Kingsley is awesome in his role as Don.The cool thing is that the viewer knows before the main characters what is happening, but the anticipation of what the characters will do because of it really drives the suspense.I gave it an 8 of 10. Check it out!
Why do plots have to be complicated?
posted on 11 Feb 2009This is an amazing film. Do movies these days really have to have a complex, confusing plot for people to like them? This plot was sweet and simple, allowing the acting and feelings of the characters to shine. It is impossible to find a plot that doesn't have similarities to other films, they have all been done in one way or another. This was an excellent play upon the gangster genre. I found myself emotionally attached to the characters, which is something that is hard to do. And by having only a little violence be gruesome, it touches on reality. A wonderful film.
WOW is all i got to say
posted on 11 Feb 2009Ben Kingsley is amazing. this movie is very very good. a surprise that just creeped up on me. I did not expect it to be so entertaining. It is a bit twisted though. and the ending is somewhat left to the viewer's imagination. simply spectacular. Ray Winstone delivers as well. he plays his character very well. At times you are not sure if it is his own personality or if it is the character's. He is simply a natural. I loved Ben Kingsley's accent in the movie. The plot is a little strange, and you have to get used to it right at the beginning. I also loved the scenery and the cinematography. You certainly get the sense of the heat in the opening sense of the movie.
Too sexy for their shirts
posted on 07 Feb 2009The reassuring trend of this new year seems to be the sudden pick up of art house fodder like Sexy Beast by the multiplexes. This has prompted me back into the review room. Stay tuned for the alreadyviewedbutnotreviewd CTHD.So. London gangster? - What's Ray Winstone doing? Slap some gold jewellery on him and let him expose his belly under the Costa del Crime sun. No surprise there. But now add Salford's second finest (Ben Kingsley) and make him terrifying beyond poetry, and this film becomes captivating. Some wonderful head-to-heads between Winstone and Kingsley. Tick following tock.There's more. Ian McShane. My old school mate and Kingsley's Ship Canal rival. (Actually. He was only OK. I just wanted to name drop.) A dark Amanda Redman? Hubba hubba! I've said this before, but an actress who can be sexy in more than one way is an actress indeed. (See - please see - the blonde Alison Braithwaite currently on TV.) Well done audience!Ron (Viewed 5Feb2001)
Who is the Beast?
posted on 03 Feb 2009Part of the fun of watching Sexy Beast is determining who the title character is. The advertising would have you believe it is Don (Ben Kingsley, who is indeed beastly in his portrayal of an obsessive thug determined to get Gal (Ray Winstone) to do one more job. The opening shot (no spoiler here) of Gal in his tight swimtrunks poolside would have us believe he certainly thinks himself sexy, despite his middle-age paunch. But keep an open mind as to who the Sexy Beast really is.Sexy Beast is touted as a comedy/crime/drama. Although there are some humorous elements, I would hardly consider it a comedy. The tension Ben Kingsley produces on-screen will have you biting your nails. Some stylized sequences in a London bath house will make you wince. And the violence (not overdone) will make you feel like you got hit in the head with a bottle.Sexy Beast keeps you fidgeting in the chair right up to the semi-satisfying end.
Very Cool
posted on 28 Jan 2009Ben Kingsley proves he is one of our best actors. Should have been nominated for an Oscar. (I'm sorry, was he?) I wish this movie had received more attention over in the US. Oh well, check it out, it is a very creative movie. My congratulations to Jonathan Glazer. I gave it a solid 8/10.
Great British crime highlight!
posted on 18 Jan 2009Sexy Beast is a film about Gal Dove (Ray Winstone), an aging crook that has retired to a villa in Spain. However, as we know; crime doesn't pay, and had he have been left in Spain to live happily ever after, his life of crime would have paid off big time, but, much to his dismay, he gets pulled back in for another job. From the moment this film begins - with a great sequence involving Ray Winstone nearly being squashed by a falling rock, to the tune of The Strangler's "Peaches", it is obvious to the viewer that they are indeed in for a treat. This is a simply brilliant opener, one that is not only funny but also one that sets the right tone for the movie. The movie looks beautiful, mostly owing to the luscious Spanish villa that our hero lives in. Setting the movie in Spain was a great idea; it allows for a very different tone to the majority of other crime thrillers that go for a more dark, seedy look to the film. Another highlight of Sexy Beast is it's script; the script is a big issue these days, with films like Pulp fiction making snappy dialogue cool, and the one here doesn't disappoint. It's witty and it creates the characters in equal measure; and that's the mark of a great script, one that can entertain the viewer and serve the movie at the same time.A great British cast heads Sexy Beast. Ray Winstone is the star of the show as Gal Dove, the crook at the centre of the caper. Ray is an under-utilised talent in the movie industry; he's proved here that he more than do the job, and he also has a great 'crime' voice; upon hearing it, you know you're listening to a hard man. The real star of the show, however, is the title character; played by Ben Kingsley. It is never actually said that he is the title character, but it is obvious that he is to anyone watching the movie. This role is a huge departure from the roles we're used to seeing Kingsley in - such as Gandhi in Gandhi, or some guy from that Schindler's List rubbish, and it's one that suits Kingsley much more than I thought it would. In fact, Kingsley is brilliant in this role; it's maybe even his all time best performance. He brings so much to the table; he's extremely nasty, almost evil; and Kingsley just makes you believe that this man is not someone that you want to mess with. He's not big or strong, it's his aura that gives you this impression, and that is an absolutely great thing for an actor to do. Also starring in the film are Amanda Redman, whom British TV fans will remember from the excellent offbeat sitcom; "At home with the Braithwaites" and Ian McShane, who has also done a lot of film and TV work.Overall; Sexy Beast is a rare thing. It's a crime thriller that is original, hilarious and exciting, and relies on it's characters for most of the action. These days, it has become customary for crime thrillers to rip off Pulp Fiction; but this one doesn't need to. Sexy Beast is an absolute highlight and one that shouldn't be missed by anyone.
A very dark and twisted black gangster comedy thriller.
posted on 18 Jan 2009Sexy beast is the sinister story of ex con Gal and his wife living the life in Spain.There happiness ends when a former colleague of Gals returns,Don,not retired and wants Gal to do a robbery with him. Gal realises that sometimes,it's hard to say no.Sexy beast is a good british film that is entertaining and stylish (especially Ian Mcshanes character).It is violent,funny (at times),and very cinematic.What I hated about the movie is that it comes to no conclusion,and were just left with what happened.I would definitly reccomend renting it though.You can't miss it.I rate 4/5.
Ian McShane is also fantastic...
posted on 16 Jan 2009Kingsley's performance received all of the press, and it is indeed a tremendous performance. However, McShane's performance is equally great. While Sir Ben portrays Don Logan as a hyper-kinetic, enraged lunatic, McShane dresses "Mr. Black Magic" Teddy Bass in a cloak of reptilian intimidation. I have never seen a man do more with a flat, threatening stare than does McShane in his few scenes with Ray Winstone's character Gal -- he stares right through him. You expect at any minute he will lash out and kill Gal. It makes one entirely sympathetic for poor old Gal."Sexy Beast" is not the most strongly plotted British gangster film, but it is certainly one that has some of the strongest performances.
Not Believable but Posh
posted on 10 Jan 2009Yeah, Ben Kingsley is menacing, but personally, I'd have punched his muscled-up Gandhi face early on if I were Ray Winstone.Winstone is a retired gangster living with his ex-porn star wife and a few ex-gangster friends in a villa in Spain. Life is good, but then the feared ex-partner, Kingsley shows up to insult everybody and generally ruffle feathers, the ultimate party pooper. Okay, okay, Winstone will help with the heist after a disagreement, a serious disagreement. Back in London, Teddy, played by Deadwood's leering Ian McShane has created a plan to steal from a high security vault a gazillion dollars. The team dives into the most unlikely underwater heist scheme ever devised.It's all very posh and not very believable, but quite entertaining.
TOTAL CRAP.
posted on 14 Aug 2009As far as i am concerned this movie was a real disappointment. After hearing several positive reviews (and even after reading many more after watching the movie), I really am shocked to see how many people actually liked this movie.It seems that everyone is just head-over-heels in love with Ben Kingsley (irritating "gangster" Don Logan) and his performance when really I found him to be annoying to the point of MAKING ME WALK OUT OF THE MOVIE (1st attempt to watch it, at home). His contribution to the movie as a whole would have been much better spent actually developing his character more (feelings, motivations, etc) as opposed to the repeated attempts to portray him as a tough gangster which honestly I didn't really see. I never really even felt he was that much of a threat to Gal & company. Sure he was on the edge and clearly they were scared of him from whatever past experiences, reputation, etc, but please. He was just so whiny, I came away with the impression, "god, what a brat." Especially that whole smoking in the airplane scene, which I think he would have handled differently had he actually been a badass. Now, Ray Winstone (retired thief Gary 'Gal' Dove) on the other hand, did a great job in his part of this movie, though I think that the script itself kinda let Ray down in that his character could have been more slick, expressed himself more about his reasons for not coming out of retirement, shown his skills more when the time for the heist actually came. Why was it so important for Gal personally to be in the heist when it seemed so simple anyone could have done it? And while we're on the topic of the heist, considering all the screen time they spent actually getting there, don't you think that we'd get a little more exciting display/breakdown of the event itself? Forget flashy explosions or any of that, even just some more exciting shots (which director Jonathan Glazer is clearly capable of, having included some excellent cinematography) or some sense of the tension and danger involved.Ultimately I felt that this movie was a serious letdown, partially because of Ben Kingsley's character all by himself, and partly because all the characters seemed a little watered down compared to what they could have been. It just never really felt believable enough at any point for me to accept it and move on. I like movies that are purely character studies, I like indie movies, I like 'cockney villains/heist' movies, but I feel like this movie was pretty much a total waste of my time.