This Gandhi is no Andy Pandy (Sexy Beast (DVD))

Member Name: Yermansays

Product:	Sexy Beast (DVD)
Date:	05/10/01 (225 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Kingsley as Logan, Winston as Gal, It's hot

Disadvantages: the ending could have been better.

This is a movie to be savoured, not for the romance, the action sequences or the supporting cast. It should be savoured for two reasons and two reasons only, the performances of Ben Kingsley and Ray Winston. They carry the movie from start to finish and are a joy to watch.

Winston plays “Gal” a retired criminal who now spends his days sunning himself under a red-hot sun in Spain (A big fat chip in a pan of hot oil is a good description of the opening sequence). His life is nothing but everything (Does this make sense?). He has an attentive wife in “Deedee” (an ex stripper) played by Amanda Redman who worships the ground he walks on. Their retreat is a hacienda out in the sticks and Gal spends his days swimming, getting fat and toasting himself. A local lad does all the little odd jobs around the place; life just couldn’t be any sweeter.

Gal and Deedee have two friends who share this idyllic existence, they are “Aitch” and “Jackie” played by Cavan Kendall and Julianne White. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t heard of them; I don’t believe I had prior to this. Anyway they are also a dodgy couple that have set up stall in Spain. So what have we got? A dodgy foursome with a dodgy past living it up in sunny Spain but storm clouds are brewing.

The storm in question is a hurricane in the shape of “Don Logan” played by Ben Kingsley. He is a very dodgy character from Gal’s past who in a phone call to Jackie tells her he is coming to Spain to see Gal as he wants him to help carry out a big heist job back in England. Jackie passes on this good news just as the four are about to dine in their favourite little restaurant. The news goes down like a lead balloon and the look of resignation on their faces says it all.

This is where the movie kicked in for me. Kinsley is quite brilliant, beautifully psychotic (if there is such an expression) and his mere pres
ence (once he arrives in Spain) reduces our sunny four friends to quivering wrecks. He acts and talks like a man who is soulless, the power he exudes is frightening. What is unusual about this is the role reversal. Winston normally plays the hard man who strikes fear into the opposition. This time round, he is the one on the rack. The big question is, will he go back to England to carry out this one last job and in the process risk everything that matters to him or will he face up to Don and tell him the answer is no.

Kingsley is most famous for the movie Gandhi. The transformation from a mild mannered little man in robes (sorry Gandhi) into your worst nightmare is truly menacing. He is a nutter who just won’t take no for an answer, a bit like Gandhi really except for the nutter bit.

Jonathan Glazer directed Sexy Beast. I don’t think he has done anything else of note but someone out there will soon put me right if I’m wrong. I’ve mentioned some of the supporting cast but another person who deserves a mention is Ian Mc Shane who plays “Teddy Bass”. He is the numero uno, head honcho (you know the routine) and the brains behind the big job in England. I had a slight problem in accepting him as a hard man but no trouble whatsoever in accepting Kingsley as a nutter and Winstone as a flabby bellied pussycat. Kingsley manages to steal the thunder from Winstone, which is no mean feat.

The camera angles are a little unusual at times, that’s not a criticism just an observation. Overall it is worth watching, if anything it ended a little bit too quickly for my liking. In fact the ending could have been a lot better but that’s just me being picky. Give it a go; you won’t be disappointed.

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