Sexy Beast

2000

Sexy Beast

Critics Consensus

Sexy Beast rises above other movies in the British gangster genre due to its performances -- particularly an electrifying one by Ben Kingsley -- and the script's attention to character development.

86%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 130

85%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 38,558

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Movie Info

Gary (Ray Winstone) is a former gangster who has made a modest amount of money from his criminal career. Happy to put his life of crime behind him, he has retired with his wife Deedee (Amanda Redman) to the sunny bliss of rural Spain, where he lives an idyllic life with his family and a few close friends. But Gary's contentment is ruptured by an unwelcome visitor from his past -- Don (Ben Kingsley), a former associate who has been hired to assemble a team of criminals to rob a heavily guarded bank. Don wants Gary in on the job, and is less than pleased by Gary's unwillingness to volunteer his services. What ensues is a battle of wills between the two men, with Don intimidating, prodding, and manipulating his onetime friend to get what he wants, forever changing the lives of those around him in the process. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

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Cast

Ray Winstone
as Gal
Ben Kingsley
as Don Logan
Ian McShane
as Teddy Bass
Amanda Redman
as Deedee
Cavan Kendall
as Aitch
Julianne White
as Jackie
Álvaro Monje
as Enrique
James Fox
as Harry
Robert Atiko
as Andy
Nieves del Amo Oruet
as Pilot
Frank Scinto
as Pete
Enrique Aleman Fabrega
as Pilot
Gerard Barray
as Spanish Official
Jose Ma Cano Ramos
as Felipe's Friend 1
Desiree Erasmus
as Jean
Santiago Frias Munoz
as Policia 2
José García Hernández
as Air Steward
Ana Maldonado Herreria
as Maruja/Matronly Woman
Andy Lucas
as Jimmy
Jose Lirola Ramos
as Policia 1
Jose Lopez Carrillo
as Felipe's Friend 2
Antonio Fco Marquez Quesada
as Policia 4
Juan Manuel Martinez Cobos
as Policia 4
Dionisio Mesa
as Felipe
Eddie O'Connell
as Bruno
Terry Plummer
as Mike
Manuel Sanchez Berianga
as Man on Plane
Darkie Smith
as Stan
Rocky Taylor
as Raymond
Chris Webb
as Nicky
Pedro Zamora Hernandez
as Policia 3
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Critic Reviews for Sexy Beast

All Critics (130) | Top Critics (35)

  • The talented Glazer keeps things crisp, clean and purposeful. The only flab on this film is around the waist of its sybaritic hero, a working-class crook who has finally gotten a taste of the good life, and doesn't want to lose it.

    Mar 31, 2008 | Full Review…

    David Ansen

    Newsweek
    Top Critic

  • From the off it's clear at once that Jonathan Glazer will be a ballsy, switched-on film-maker.

    Jun 24, 2006 | Full Review…
    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • Aside from [Glazer's] visual flair and gallows humor, he's still subtracted much more than he's added.

    Sep 17, 2001 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    Joshua Katzman

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • A marvelously suspenseful character study wrapped up in a refreshingly tight crime film.

    Jul 6, 2001

    Jay Boyar

    Orlando Sentinel
    Top Critic

  • One of the more interesting efforts in its genre, though it has been somewhat overrated.

    Jun 29, 2001 | Full Review…

    Andrew Sarris

    Observer
    Top Critic

  • The most original and entertaining crime thriller since The Limey.

    Jun 29, 2001 | Full Review…

    Terry Lawson

    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (130)

Audience Reviews for Sexy Beast

  • Mar 30, 2015
    An electric British gangster film with a slight grind house panache and a biting script. It's a lean and mean ride that is elevated by all the players involved, especially Kingsley and Winstone. Jonathan Glazer establishes himself as a unique voice with the engaging 'Sexy Beast'.
    Kase V Super Reviewer
  • Jan 26, 2014
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]
    Directors C Super Reviewer
  • Sep 16, 2013
    I've seen this a few times since it was initially released and I'm still floored by the film's style. Its like some crazy hybrid of Guy Richie and David Lynch stuff. And yes, Kingsley is brilliant.
    Alec B Super Reviewer
  • Aug 27, 2013
    I somehow skipped this Anglo-Spanish crime drama in the cinemas... Written by Louis Mellis and David Scinto, directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley and Ian McShane, it'll provide lots of entertainment. It was Glazer's debut feature film, who had previously directed music videos and commercials for companies such as Guinness and Levi, and he did quite well! The film earned Kingsley an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. And even more amazing was that in 2004 the magazine Total Film named Sexy Beast the 15th greatest British film of all time... I would not go as far as saying that, but it had charm of its own. A straight forward story of an ex-con and expert safe-cracker Gary "Gal" Dove (Ray Winstone) who has served nine years behind bars and blissfully retired to a Spanish villa with his beloved ex-porn star wife Deedee (Amanda Redman). He enjoys life in the company of longtime friend Aitch and his wife Jackie. But, their idyllic life is shattered by the arrival of an old criminal associate, sociopath Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), who is intent on enlisting Gal in a bank heist back in London... The movie felt like a roller-coaster, with ups and downs, building enough excitement for the audience to be satisfied with the final product which has something like 300 uses of the word "cunt", and 400 "fucks" (but somehow it passed the censorship and got out in US). I already mentioned that Ben Kingsley's performance received a majority of the accolades given to Sexy Beast... winning Best Supporting Actor awards from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Boston Society of Film Critics, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association, Florida Film Critics Circle, San Diego Film Critics Society, Southeastern Film Critics Association and the Toronto Film Critics Association. He also was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award (losing to Ian McKellen for his performance in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), a Golden Globe and above mentioned Academy Award (losing both to Jim Broadbent for his performance in Iris). In addition, the film also won Best Director and Best Screenplay from the British Independent Film Awards and Special Recognition ("For excellence in filmmaking") from the National Board of Review. Check it out - it's worth it.
    Panta O Super Reviewer
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