If you want to know one thing about Sexy Beast, know this: Ben Kingsley is intense.

He plays Don Logan, a henchman for a London mob boss who's sent to Southern Spain to talk an ex-burglar out of retirement for one more heist. It's a supporting role -- but it dominates the film. He's an elegant, menacing pitbull of a character. In the DVD commentary, Kingsley describes Logan as "the unhappiest man on earth." Who better to spoil the fun of Gal (Ray Winstone), an ex-con who's very happy living in a luxurious villa with his wife. What follows is a darkly funny, enjoyable piece of pulp fiction.

Jonathan Glazer, making his feature film debut, provides stylish direction. Glazer made his name in the world of music videos (remember the Jamiroquoi clip with Jay Kay sliding around the floor?) and he uses music to excellent effect to complement some sharp visuals. Glazer actually had two separate musical scores composed for the film, and he alternates between them depending on the mood of the scene.

A word of warning, though -- the movie is ripe with thick cockney accents and at times I found the dialogue a bit difficult to follow. I actually had to watch the DVD a second time with the English subtitles on to catch some of the nuance.
(c) Copyright 2002