Sexy Beast

One aspect of movie making that I have always found fascinating is the art of acting. The attempt to take on another persona and to create an entirely unique character right in front of our eyes has always been a very interesting process for me. Most reviewers and critics tend to define an acting performance by the manner in which they react to their environment. Show believable fear, sorrow, and joy when they are supposed to, and do so in-character and in a memorable fashion, then it's a good acting job. The problem with that however, is that it only takes into account one half of character construction. A major piece of the pie is how the environment reacts to the character. In other words, what is their influence on what is occurring around them? Lets say you have two guys and one is supposed to be really scary. He only becomes scary once we perceive the second guy is both credible and frightened of the scary one. Basically the total scariness of the first character is determined by factors beyond the control of the actor playing him. This is essentially a very long way of saying, great acting performances are not solo accomplishments. Every great character needs great characters around them to reach that transcendent level. I think few movies illustrate this more clearly than Jonathan Glazer's 2000 gangster film, Sexy Beast.

Glazer's film primarily revolves around a conflict of wills between two men. There is the retired British gangster Gal (Ray Winstone), determined to stay retired, living the good life in Spain, and the mob boss Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), determined to bring Gal back to London for one last heist. We spend the first several minutes of the movie meeting the very self-assured Gal. He loves his wife, enjoys spending time with his friends and pool boy, and is generally happy with the way things are. Despite an ominous near death experience, Gal is relaxed and at ease. This introduction, while slow, pays huge dividends as the movie progresses. The viewer is shown how difficult it is to shake Gal's calm, and yet, we see that same calm shattered by the mere mention of Don's name. We know instantly, before we even meet him, that Don Logan is a man to be feared. 

Sir Ben Kingsley is not a large or imposing man. He convincingly played Gandhi in the midst of a hunger strike, to give you a rough idea. Despite these physical limitations, he put together one of the most intimidating gangsters in memory. Kingsley received an Oscar nomination for the film and it was well deserved. The film gives him quite an introduction to live up to. Still, Don does not disappoint, alternating wildly from a calculating state of control to deranged, eyeball-popping fury. Most importantly he does so within the confines of believability, thanks in large part to the reactions from Gal's shell-shocked household to Don's mood swings. Now, hopefully, the point of my intro comes into focus. Don is made significantly scarier because of the fear he generates in Gal. Without Winstone's very solid performance, then the scene-stealing Don Logan is just another crazy, over-the-top gangster.

Ben Kingsley as Don Logan

A third actor who's role must be touched on is Ian McShane. McShane plays the London mastermind Teddy Bass, who, as we come to discover, is the man pulling Don's strings. He provides his character with a whole different side of scary. Where Don is animated, vulgar and confrontational, Teddy is dispassionate and inscrutable. Both are equally unpredictable, however, the fact that Teddy controls Don gives an added mystique to the mobster that is truly frightening. Another example of ensemble acting aiding in the character creation process. Amanda Redman and James Fox also deserve mention for their turns as Gal's wife and skittish friend, respectively.

The plot is simple and slow-developing, the direction is strong but not exceedingly so, the music is easily forgettable, and the technical side of the film is adequate at best.. The tone of the movie is jarringly inconsistent and at times, almost surreal. The script provides numerous tense situations, some dark moments of humor and gives the cast the freedom to shine, which is the film's true strength. In the end it will always be remembered for Kingsley's performance, and it's not hard to see why. It is important however, to recognize the group effort that went into making both that performance, and the movie as a whole, a very fun ride.

23/30