MOVIE

Award-winning Jonathan Glazer presents his feature film debut with this lushly photographed, expertly written, and brilliantly performed convention-defying 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 by the pool at his luxe villa in Spain, when a gigantic boulder hurtles down a hillside, almost killing him. The 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), 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.

UK import