SEXY BEAST (2000)

Friday night, tough week at work, can't be bothered to booze it up and spend half the night queueing up at bars with drunk men in suits being obnoxious. The solution - round to a friend's house for home made pizzas (from scratch, dough and everything ) and a DVD.

I wasn't in charge of the viewing choice, which always makes me feel a little uncomfortable, but I was delighted when I discovered that the choice was Sexy Beast, Jonathan Glazer's first feature film.



It tells the story of Gary 'Gal' Dove (Ray Winstone), lovable rogue and retired gangster. Now living the quiet life with his wife (Amanda Redman), former porn star, in the sunnier climes of Spain. One of his old 'colleagues', Don Logan (Sir Ben Kingsley) turns up for a surprise visit to try and persuade Gal out of retirement for one last job. On the face of it, it's a story that has been told a million times before, and a brief synopsis like that probably wouldn't have you running out to grab a copy on DVD. The reality is though, that the story is very much secondary and it's the characters that grab this film by the lapels and elevate it above most other British gangster fare.

Ray Winstone, in a role that gave his a career a much needed jolt in the arm, is very understated and excellent as Gal Dove. We all know a Brit who has upped sticks for Spain and quickly turned their skin to leather and Winstone morphs in to this role with ease. This is what he is capable of, it's a shame that Hollywood entrusts him with pointless roles such as the one he was given in Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal skull.

Although Dove is the character that the film follows, he is not the most important and memorable of the piece. (Sir) Ben Kingsley's Don Logan is easily one of the most striking and unforgettable persona's in British cinema. At first look, he seems to resemble a teacher, pressed trousers and short sleeve shirts. Then he opens his mouth, barking expletives creatively and aggressively. The tidy attire, seemingly harmless before, now takes on a more sinister note as it becomes an obsessive part of his psychotic behaviour. Some moments he is softly spoken, the next he shouts 'No, no, no, no' followed by the inevitable tired of swearing. The unpredictability makes him all the more scarier. Truly terrifying. The writers have also managed to give Logan some great creative use of swear words. Only Malcolm Tucker has managed to trump him since. In fact, Logan's dialogue is funny and does raise laughs, but not for long because any humour is quickly consumed by another tirade of abuse.

Ian McShane also crops up as Teddy Bass, the real boss of the heist. Bass is another creepy character but in a very different way to Logan. No raised voices, no threatening swearing, just softly spoken words, laden with the suggestion of violence. The other members of the gang clearly fear him and it's not until the last few moments that you are shown just what he is capable of. This was the role for McShane that reinvented him, made him hot property again. Lovejoy to Deadwood and The West Wing.

The film is very simple, it really is a character piece that is stripped down to the bare bones. In fact, it could almost be a play covering 2 or 3 locations, letting thespians strut their stuff on the boards. Jonathan Glazer's direction gives the film something more, adds flesh to the bones. And what flesh it is. The film is full of stylised tricks, a camera attached to a rolling boulder or a revolving door, fast editing between present day and flashbacks, thumping music propelling scenes along. I also loved the stark contrasts in colours between the two locations, Spain full of vibrant, hot colours, filmed in day, while London is all blacks and greys, only seen during cold, rainy nights. The film is visually beautiful, almost becoming an additional character itself.

It really is a modern British classic. Great cast, at the peak of their powers, superbly shot, creatively put together with a narrative structure that has keeps you guessing until after the credits,. Occasionally in the world of film, the stars align and you have something that really sticks out. This is one of those occasions.

The film Guy Ritchie wished he could have made.