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Sexy Beast

Sexy Beast

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $15.98
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Disturbingly delightful
Review: Action without car chases and insulting us. Dark and funny. Not for the squeamish. Ben Kingsley is not who comes to your mind when you think 'sexy', but 'beast' is very appropriate for this role. This is as far from Gandi as it comes. He was incredible. The accents were a bit difficult to understand, (I used the caption option). And what was that rabbit/man about?
A must have movie for your library.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Do the Job!
Review: Ray Winstone was once one of the most capable heist artists of one of the most feared crime bosses of London, he was also quite a ladies man, a "sexy beast" if you will. His caper days are behind him now and he has settled down in sunny Spain with his wife. He enjoys days by the poolside, "...Oh, I'm frying here...roasting" and nocturnal outdoor grilling and cocktails with another retired associate and his girl. One day however their old boss, "Mr. Black Magic himself" gets an idea for a new caper, bigger than ever and decides he knows just the man for the job. Ben Kingsley is sent to fetch Winstone. Kingsley has a reputation so fierce that his very name, "Don Logan", strikes fear into those who know him. Winstone is bound and determined not to have his life upset and thus ensues one of the hardest "hard sells" ever recorded on film. When Winstone tells him, "I'm just going to have to turn this opportunity down Don" Kingsley replies, "You're just going to have to turn this opportunity YES!" Kingsley's relentless browbeating is a wonder to behold, but it is the nuanced performance of Winstone, whose love for his wife and his life and desperate desire not to return to London, "that toilet" he calls it, that is really the deeper performance. Great visuals, good story, and first class acting make for an enjoyable and memorable experience.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's Do-able!!!!!!!
Review: In 1979, Ian McShane did a made for telly movie that dealt with the ultimate bank heist (The Great Riviera Bank Robbery aka Dirty Money - PLEASE RELEASE ON DVD!!!!!!!). The movie receive excellent reviews for its incisive script, sharp acting and non-sensational treatment. He played "the Brain" the real life man that masterminded a heist of a bank in the Riviera, where they tunnelled under the vault in very elaborate and high tech fashion.

This movie, once again, showcases McShane as the mastermind of a super heist, this time as Teddy Bass "Mr. Black Magic Himself" and it show that 23 years has not dulled McShane's black magic one bit. Though not the star of the movie, he steals the show, which is no mean feat with the super cast which includes Ben Kingsley and James Fox.

Ray Winstone plays a former London gangster that has retired to the good life in Spain. As far as he is concerned he is out of the business, happy with the lay-back life and wants nothing to do with the old 'business'. However, Teddy Bass is masterminding a big heist of James Fox's futurist, security controlled bank ( with a little help from Fox ) and he has put out he wants Winstone in on the job, so he sends Ben Kingsly to convince Windstone the error of his refusal.

It is sharply written with intelligent wit, superbly acted from beginning to end. It is an intellectual gangster film, that has a cold heart and tongue through cheek.

One superb work form beginning to end.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Astute, sharp, succinct
Review: Though Ben Kingsley justifiably earned laurels for his portrayal of the ruthless and terrifying Don Logan, I was just as impressed with Ray Winstone's performance as Gal Dove, the reluctant mobster who has found love and peace in his luxurious but remote life in southern Spain. You don't need to know much about the details of this film, only that it is absolutely worth watching, and that ultimately it is, yes, a love story.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A sexy and funny love story of sorts mabey I guess
Review: This is a great film although I would recommend repeated viewings of this film because at first you may not understand all that is being done in this film. It has a great feel to it and a great soundtrack, its both dark and funny but never over indulges on either of these attributes. Thats about all I will say about this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Beast to be Reckoned With
Review: Sexy Beast is a likable(but dark) English Mob film with a special ingrediant. Ben Kingsley plays Don Logan, who is perhaps the most memorable, over the top character to appear in a film since Dennis Hopper's Frank Booth in Blue Velvet.

Gal and his other English ex-patriates have retired from the crime scene of London to the sunny coast of Spain. Here they live a life of leisure and contentment, until storm cloud in the person of Don Logan looms on their once sunny horizon. Logan appears as an unstoppable force of violence determined for Gal to return with him to London for one last heist. The relaxed air of the seaside Shangri-la is suddenly thick with tension and dread. Paradise has been lost.

The film moves on to London where we meet the menacing crime boss Teddy Bass who persents a different level of evil than Don Logan. A creative heist occurs and then Gal must find his way back to Spain.

I feel that the film peaks in the middle with the arrival of Logan then peters out toards the end. When Don Logan is not involved in certain scenes after his arrival, the level of electricity dimminishes somewhat. Another item that can make this a difficult film are the thick Cockneye accents which take a while to acclimate to.

Overall, this a a pretty entertaining flick, with good performances, a well done plot and a performance of lifetime from Kingsley.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Evil Gone Bad
Review: I loved the subtly interwoven contrasts of this film - the peaceful, idyllic, sun-drenched, Spanish hillsides vs. the rain-soaked bustle of London. But when the hillside comes rumbling down unexpectedly, it's a foreshadowing of what's about to violently crash in on Gal (Ray Winstone) and his wife, Dee Dee, and shatter their tranquil life-style. That would be Don, Gal's former colleage in crime. Gal's efforts to maintain the perfect poolside lifestyle is another metaphor for his struggle to resist Don's cajoling him back to London for one last heist. The psychic tensions in this film are sublime and they play throughout the film like a taffy-pull struggle between complacent indifference and callous evil. And if you think Don is the bad guy, then meet the mob boss - pure sinister evil. Makes Don look like he's just got a mild case of personality disorder. Gal is up against them all, risking the consequences of his resistance, and playing his own game in the end. I enjoyed this film thoroughly for its artistry, imagery, superb acting, and great story line. However, if you're squeamish about gansters, blood, gore, and hard-core living you could be easily distracted from the beauty of this film. Three thumbs up!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: But, I Do Not Want To!
Review: Gal (Ray Winstone) has retired to the Spanish Riviera in order to enjoy the sun, good food, wine, and his beloved wife. However, this idyllic existence turns into turmoil when Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) shows up and tries to convince Gal to go back to London and do a job for him. Gal kindly declines the offer, which Don does not accept. Don becomes more threatening in his way of persuading Gal to join him in the job, however, Gal keeps insisting that he is no good and that he is not interested in the job. This is something that Don finds hard to accept. The Sexy Beast provides an interesting antagonist that drives the storyline and the film provides an fascinating event.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Bad,bad,bad
Review: A total waste of time. This movie is as bad as they get.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Stink,stank,stunk
Review: My goodness the British can't make movies. They can write, they can act, they make great music but cinema isn't their speciality. They've been trying to make a Terentino(?) film for the past decade (see Guy Richie) and have failed miserably every bloody time. They got Lean and Hitchcock, though Hitchcock didn't become great until he came to the states, outside of these two it's a pretty sad affair. I gave it 2 stars instead of one out of respect for Ben Kingsley.


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