Director: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Ray Winstone
Story Rating: 3 1/2 discs (out of 4)
Story Review: Sunning himself by the pool at his luxurious Costa del Crime villa, Gal (Ray Winstone), a retired London crook, escapes by a hair’s breadth from being squashed like a fly by a huge boulder that has hurtled off a mountain to end up immersed in the pool. An omen, perhaps, for what is to happen to him. A Mr. Big (Ian McShane) back in London wants him for one last bank job and has enough on him to make it hard for Gal to refuse. To reinforce the message, he dispatches his most effective persuader, Don (Ben Kingsley), a hard man of such horrifying magnitude. Don puts Gal and his terrified wife, Deedee (Amanda Redman), through a horrible ordeal in which initial edgy courtesies soon turn into threats, violence and murder. Kingsley‘s performance is wonderfully over the top, turning a hard-nosed caper/thriller into an intense black comedy, and it has the effect of making Winstone, so often cast as a heavy, seem positively cuddlesome and sympathetic. Sexy Beast, combining thrills with humor, is rich in entertainment value.
Features Rating: 2 discs (out of 4)
Features Review: What a shame: The commentary starts off rather slow and never really gains very much steam. Kingsley and producer Jeremy Thomas expound on what they enjoy in the film, only occasionally going into more depth to talk about the history of the production or what happened on the set. It would have been better if the commentary contained the perspective of director Glazer, given that this was his directorial debut.
The standard “Making Of…” featurette does little in the way of shedding light on what Sexy Beast is and what’s going on underneath the surface of the film. There are some surprisingly good comments from director Glazer, though he is passed over quickly.
All in all, an unfortunately average array of extras.
Bottom Line: Kingsley is awesome in his too-brief performance, and the movie is a must for any movie lover’s collection. The extras on the DVD won’t add much, but they don’t have to–this movie is an instant classic.
Special Features List:
• English and Spanish subtitles
• Audio commentary (actor Ben Kingsley and producer Jeremy Thomas)
• Featurette
• Theatrical trailers
• Television spot
