Sexy Beast
released 2000
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”Sexy Beast” is a British/Spanish crime, romance, drama film produced by Jeremy Thomas and directed by Jonathan Glazer. It was written by Louis Mellis and David Scinto and stars Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman, Cavan Kendall, Julianne White, Alvaro Monje and James Fox. It has been nominated for several awards and is a gangster film well worth seeing.

”Sexy Beast” is a different kind of gangster film whose story starts and later takes place in the seedy, underbelly of organized crime in England and also  a beautiful, sunny spot in Spain where two gangsters and their wives have retired to. Gary ”Gal” Doyle, played by Ray Winstone, is an ex-con who retired in Spain with his best friend Aitch, played by Cavan Kendall, and their wives. They are both madly in love with their wives and enjoy a fantastic friendship while soaking up the sun and enjoying beautiful Spain. They have both left their criminal pasts and time spent in jail behind them and embrace the happy days ahead, or so they think.

The couple´s bright days turn cloudy when a man from their past shows up. His name is Don Logan, played by Ben Kingsley and he is a vicious psychopath. He is an angry, jealous and very manipulative hit man who tries to bully Gal into a final job. Gal of course is not interested but Don persists. He is one scary character who will not take ”no” for an answer. He just radiates rage. So a large part of the film is a cat and mouse between Don and Gal with an unexpected twist that sends the story in an unpredictable direction. I still wonder why Don chose Gal instead of Aitch to take back to England? After all it was Aitch´s wife he was so jealous over. Why was Don going out of his way to destroy Gal? Maybe that´s just the kind of person Don is and that´s how he handles himself.  I´ll have to watch it again to see if the answer isn´t in an overlooked detail.

There are so many good things to say about this film even though the characters are, for the most part, seedy. There´s the theme that makes up so many good gangster films that deals with the gangster who wants to leave his life of crime behind but is sucked back in. There´s also the theme of a happy couple struggling to stay together. All of these themes endear us to the characters and make for an interesting story. We can forget the world they come from and who they were before because of the people they have become.

One of the things I really liked about Gal, Aitch, Deedee and Jackie is that they were smart enough to walk away from an enticing but bad environment. Gal is someone who paid his dues for the lifestyle he led and was smart enough to leave the world of crime. He is also a very lucky man, even though you can argue that his luck was earned. In my opnion, the beginning scene with the boulder crashing in the swimming pool is symbolic of his luck. There is a saying that states that ”It is good to be smart, beautiful, strong or rich but it is best to be lucky” and Gal pretty much confirms that saying in this film.

”Sexy Beast” is really a gem of a film. The story and acting are exellent. I can´t recommend this film enough. Ben Kingsley does such a good role as Don I didn´t recognize him and you probably won´t either.

(Commentary by www.ink2quill.com )
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