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Sexy Beast
***
Rated on a 4-star scale
Screening venue: Odeon (Liverpool City Centre)
Released in the UK by FilmFour on January 12, 2001; certificate 18; 90 minutes;
countries of origin Spain/UK; aspect ratio 2.35:1
Directed by Jonathan Glazer; produced by
Jeremy Thomas.
Written by Louis Mellis, David Scinto.
Photographed by Ivan Bird; edited by Jon Scott, Sam
Sneade.
CAST.....
Ray Winstone..... Gary 'Gal' Dove
Ben Kinglsey..... Don 'Malky' Logan
Ian McShane..... Teddy Bass
Amanda Redman..... Deedee
Cavan Kendall..... Aitch
Julianne White..... Jackie
I did not want to see this movie. It's a British
gangster comedy with a silly title and Ray Winstone in the lead role -- the
last film I saw fitting that description was "Love, Honour and Obey". One
of the pleasures of "Sexy Beast" is the way it defies expectations
-- it zips along with eccentric wit, as we try to suss out the motivations
of the oddly interesting characters; and, just like us, the last thing the
hero wants to do is step into Cockney Geezerland.
His name is Gary Dove (Winstone), a retired London
criminal living with his wife Deedee (Amanda Redman) in a remote Spanish
villa. They've been indulging in the high life for nine years, spending their
days lounging by the pool with cocktails, and their nights out to dinner
and drinks with two other expatriate chums, Aitch (Cavan Kendall) and Jackie
(Julianne White). It's a sweet existence, except for when random disasters
happen, like when a potentially lethal boulder falls from surrounding rocks
into the back garden.
That misfortune comes right at the beginning of
the movie, and although it becomes important to the plot later on, at the
time it seems like some kind of ominous symbol. Sure enough, there is bad
news coming up -- Gary and Aitch's old boss, Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), is
paying them a visit, and he wants Gary to come out of retirement for one
last robbery.
Obviously, Gary is not a match-fit burglar any
more, so what is Logan up to? What kind of sick trick is he setting up? And
what exactly did Gary do to deserve this? These are the secrets that Gary,
Aitch, and we the audience, try to suss out when Logan comes to visit. He's
a strange character -- terrifyingly tight-lipped and intense most of the
time, never relaxing his stiff posture, inspiring obvious tension in our
boys, even holding conversations with himself in the mirror, where he gives
himself insane tips on how to take everything that's said to him the wrong
way and respond with aggressive intimidation.
Our main involvement in the movie comes from trying
to determine just what Logan is up to -- is his character a metaphor for
how a crook's past never escapes him, is he the set-up for a dark third act,
or is he just a nut with nothing better to do? By the time the movie is over,
our curiosity will only have been partly satisfied, but that's okay, because
despite its truly chilling moments, "Sexy Beast" manages to retain just enough
lightness of tone for us to allow it to resolve things with nothing more
than cute humour. Winstone and Kendall have an easy-going, amusing relationship
as the best buddies, the photography offers us a colourful atmosphere in
lightweight, sunny tones, and even Kingsley's mad portrayal of Logan has
flashes of hilarity, when the guy loses his temper and becomes more of a
silly, scrappy kid than an icy villain.
There's nothing too complicated about the appeal
of "Sexy Beast". It balances strong wit and drama in an interesting way,
doesn't overreach for effect, is well made and acted. The director is Jonathan
Glazer, a feature film debutant whose previous projects have included videos
for Radiohead and Massive Attack, although you wouldn't know it -- this isn't
the kind of slick, hyperactive or angry movie that usually comes from MTV
directors. Who knows what to expect from him in the future -- but I'm willing
to bet it'll be better than it looks.
COPYRIGHT©
2001 Ian Waldron-Mantgani
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