Rating: 
Summary: BEN BEASTLY
Review: YOU DON'T RUSH THROUGH A FINE CIGAR OR A GREAT SCOTCH.AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO RUSH TO MAKE A GOOD MOVIE.BEN KINGSLEY GIVES AN OSCAR CALIBER PERFORMANCE.IN FACT EVERY ONE IN IT WAS TOP NOTCH! I WEN'T TO SEE IT BECAUSE IT TAKES SO MUCH GUTS TO NAME A MOVIE "SEXY BEAST" AND THE MOVIE LIVES UP TO THE TITLE!
Rating: 
Summary: What's in a name?
Review: After all the dross produced in the name of the post-Lock Stock British gangster film industry at last a good movie has been made: Jonathan Glazer's Sexy Beast. (The only other exceptions would be Gangster No.1 and Guy Ritchie's own highly Lock Stock-esque Snatch). From the brilliant opening scene to the last Sexy Beast is littered with masterful surrealistic touches. Although Ray Winstone gives a career best performance as Gary - the retired gangster who just wants to be left alone in his utopian Mediterranean idyll, it is true Ben Kingsley somewhat steals the show. As Don he is as hilarious as he is terrifying. In a unique performance which owes nothing De Niro or Pesci or indeed anything I've seen him play before (certainly a far cry from Gandhi!) Kingsley illuminates every scene he is in as a monster of cockney menace. British TV star Ian McShane is also convincingly malevolent as the ambidextrous Teddy Bass and James Fox also shines in a fleeting appearance. Unlike so many British directors Glazer is genuinely cinematic - using the screen to the full, particularly in the opening sequence. He is certainly a talent to watch even if Sexy Beast made less of a splash commercially than hoped. One quibble - like Grosse Point Blank and Boston Kickout, Sexy Beast is lumbered with an inappropriate and poorly chosen name. But don't be put off - if you want a Brit gangster flick in the spirit of Get Carter or The Long Good Friday then this is for you.
Rating:
Summary: The best movie I've seen so far this year
Review: But then I haven't seen them all. Now that I have your attention...from the opening notes of The Stranglers' "Peaches" playing on the soundtrack in the first scene, this movie grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go. Other reviewers have given you the plot. There are a couple of things that jumped out at me while watching this movie. First, it is cinematic! It is beautiful to watch. Each scene is carefully composed--not the usual TV-style mere framing of people speaking or doing something we so often see today. Second, it didn't fall prey to the Hollywood sinkhole of trying to throw a plot around young, sexy, thin people who look nothing like anyone you know. The women in this film are not thin, not young, but are able to radiate sexuality and power. The male supporting actors as well contribute mightily to the power of Ben Kingsley's character. Hey, don't they call this stuff "acting?" Well, it's done brilliantly by every actor in this movie. Third, "Sexy Beast" manages to be menacing AND funny. I wasn't sure if it was a thriller or a black comedy. And I don't care! I loved it! Go see it if you like movies that are just a bit outside.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: The critics did it this time. This was decent film on the note that it contained all of the different aspects needed to create a great film, but it lacked continuous flow. Before I saw Sexy Beast I read the critics reviews on how this movie was compared to some of Guy Richie's films such as Snatch and Lock, Stock, and two smoking barrels. This film doesn't come close to the imaginative mind of Guy Richie. Sexy Beast isn't even on the same wave length. That was fault number one. Since I was over hyped and expecting a lot more from this, all I can give Sexy Beast is 2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding performances
Review: If you like to watch great actors work, you'll enjoy Sexy Beast just for the performances of Ben Kingsley and Ian McShane. But, if violence in film is not for you, don't see this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Sexy Beast: all the elements, without a takeoff
Review: I sat between my dad and his lover and speculated that my dad was paying more attention to the distracting popcorn muncher in front of us, and his lover completely rivited by the brash, senory defunct soundtrack. I tuned in as convenient for the first 60 minutes. Certainly, our hero Gal (Ray Winston), received an entranced and mesmorized response, as I felt attracted to him, yet simultaneously I was trying to remember how to spell the word troglodyte. I received Gal's profound love and respect for ex-stripper girlfriend deedee with awe, as well as a glowing, perhaps moist jealousy. Our young, quasi-mute savior eased and weaved a calm, omnipresence throughout the film. This young man was familiarly fluid, and the pieces fell into there quadrants with the entrance of Kingsley. The two men silently, and maybe even unknowingly, juxtaposed each others language, style, and presence. The young man offered a ripe rendition of the lanquid, benevolent, wise, systematic presence Kingsley is so campable of portraying. Meanwhile Kingsley's character (Logan) was ravenously beating the confines of acceptable social behavior, and you sense the utter strength of Kingsley's years of work. All of this said, I was still looking around the theatre, trying to identify the number of speakers in the theatre. As Kingsley's unforgiving nature forces the loveable Gal into an ify situation, you fear for his life and relate to the pending pain deedee will inevitably suffer.....and suddenly POOF!!! you leave the theatre, you find out your dad loved it and his lover hated it, youre hellbent on making vomiting noises anytime someone brings up the soundtrack, you know Kingsley's life has been worthwhile, and you pray to hear that "I love you like a rose loves rain water" from the lips of someone as solid as our hero.
Rating: 
Summary: The Great Acting Doesn't Quite Redeem "Sexy Beast"
Review: Perhaps I am a dolt incapable of understanding profoundly challenging entertainment. "Sexy Beast" made little sense to me. It is only the performances of Ben Kingsley as Don Logan and Ray Winstone as Gal Dove that provided a significant reason to endure the experience. Who chose the title of "Sexy Beast?" Rarely have I ever encountered a less appropriate title for a movie concerning violent thugs. Kingsley definitely wishes to stretch his acting talents and abandon the Ghandi image. He brilliantly plays an unforgettable vicious psychopathic monster. Winstone is able to convey fear and unease without hardly saying a word. This is an actor possessing incredible skill. Amanda Redman does a convincing job portraying Gal's loving and loyal wife DeeDee who enjoys their family life as retired and affluent ex-thieves in beautiful Spain. The Logan character invites himself into their home and demands that Gal returns to England for one last robbery. He will not take no for an answer, and places the couple in an untenable position. Ian McShane plays the role of Teddy Bass, the crime boss whose management skills are more than sufficient to encourage cooperation between disparate individuals in order to achieve a common goal. The vulgarity and violence are not for the squeamish. Blood flows and guts are splattered. Those seeking an escapist story line should shun "Sexy Beast." The actual robbery is ludicrous, and would have little chance of succeeding in real life. There are gaps of logic laced throughout "Sexy Beast." The film, though, does have its moments. One can legitimately compare it to Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." The British Isle accents are difficult to comprehend. And yes, I will admit to wishing for subtitles (When will movie producers cease the nonsense of refusing to provide subtitles to American audiences? Most people hesitate to be candid, but will blurt out the truth if really pushed). "Sexy Beast" earn three stars. The great acting is its sole saving grace. Only the true Ben Kingsley fan should go out of their way to view "Sexy Beast."
Rating:
Summary: Makes Quentin Tarantino look like Merchant-Ivory.
Review: There are two types of British thrillers: the genteel, Miss Marple-style ones, where murder and mayhem are discussed over tea and crumpets, and the ones which make Mike Hammer look like Miss Marple. "Sexy Beast" is emphatically of the second type. Stylish, brutal, blood-soaked and incredibly well-acted, "Sexy Beast" is a heist movie that has some trenchant, even profound, observations on the nature of good and evil, love and hate. Ben Kingsley--playing the role that in an American movie would go to either Dennis Hopper or Christopher Walken--has been getting the lion's share of the critics' attention, and indeed he is superb; he comes across as Satan incarnate, and an oversexed Satan at that. But to concentrate on Kingsley is to slight the outstanding contributions of Ian McShane--even more threatening than Kingsley in a much quieter role--or of Ray Winstone and Amanda Redman as central characters Gal and Dede. A retired thief and an ex-porn star, Gal and Dede are not tasteful, not eloquent, not refined, and yet their courage, devotion and capacity for love are the stuff of which England's greatest literature is made. As fine as "Sexy Beast" is, however, it left me with an "Is that all there is?" feeling. In the end, the story promised more than it delivered. But the acting alone makes "Sexy Beast" at least 850 times better than "Snatch" and other style-over-substance British crime flicks.
Rating:
Summary: Black Comedy Heist Film Hits Low Heights
Review: You can take my review with this grain of salt if you like. I went in knowing very little about Sexy Beast except I was a little intrigued about it having caught the tail end of the Ebert and Roper review. They were commenting about how scary Ben Kingsley was as Don Logan and that even the back of his neck was scary. Suffice it to say a shaved head, big arm tattoos and a goatee with downturned moustache helps create a tough guy image and it works on Ben Kingsley too. However I think this is not a good reason to see the movie. Kingsley did a fine job, however its hard not to take in his diminutive stature and too tight slacks which made him slightly comical. I dislike coming down on this film because it was not shot with a big budget. There were sound problems making the thick accents off the lesser characters difficult to understand at times. But mostly I felt there were some odd choices made that prevented a strong emotional bond with the "good guys" in the film. The family and friends are largely left to express themselves in somber looks and very little dialog. This works effectively in the opening scenes when it is announced Don Logan will be arriving on a plane the next day. The distress is palpable. However affection and family bonds are hard to read. The main character pretty much has to tell us verbally he loves his wife and the neighbor loves his wife. Their relationships look rather gray and non communicative. When they do communicate it feels like they are not reaching one another at all. This is a bleek move for a film in the comedy genre...even a black comedy. The heist which is the focal point of the film should have been very interesting. While unique it suffered from a lack of set up and choreography to let you know what steps were involved so that there was some tension being created and so you could know when goals were achieved so you could celebrate a little. The whys and wherefores of this break-in in which water plays an important part were taken for granted and left the whole segment feeling unnecessarily flat. For myself, the comedy was a little too dry and the drama a little too light to say I really enjoyed Sexy Beast. It was often entertaining to be sure. But not enough to recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Too sexy for my car... Too sexy by far...
Review: Ben Kingsley as a psychotic gangster? The first image that popped up in my head was Gandhi 2, a hilarious spoof from Weird Al Yankovic's UHF. Of course, Sexy Beast isn't like that at all. It's a smart, funny, gritty and fast-paced movie that shows us the human side of the criminals. The plot is rather simple and the premise makes little sense (i.e. why exactly do they need this retired gangster to come all the way from Spain?), but it's transformed into a story that seems complex and interesting with some great dialogues and a clever editing job. The experience is further enhanced by the fantastic cast. Ben Kingsley's performance is getting rave reviews everywhere (and he is indeed very impressive in his Joe Pesci-esque turn), but it was Ray Winstone and his portrayal of the retired crim Gal Dove that really impressed me. Kingsley's role, while fun to watch, is rather cliché and not really the focal point of the story. Winstone's subdued, low-key performance may not have any "flashy" moments, but it is extremely believable and is what carries the movie for the most parts.
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