* * * * * (5/5)
Thank God for Blockbuster! I live in Birmingham, which needless to say is not the most artistically minded city in America, and most of the really artsy, non-profitable movies don’t ever get shown in our theaters. The only way I ever get access to some of these movies is by waiting for them to be released on DVD and renting them from the good ol’ Blockbuster down the road. This was one of those rentals that makes me happy that I saw it, but at the same time sad that I will never see it in a theater. Most people never heard about this film because it was British, but if you did hear about it, it was probably because of Ben Kingsley’s Oscar nomination for his supporting role in this film as the uncompromisingly, unequivocally mean Don Logan. The role is quite a stretch for Kingsley, who is most known for portraying one of the calmest, most peaceful men in the world in Gandhi. Don Logan is a gangster who comes to the house of a retired professional thief to convince him to do one more job. If this sounds like a familiar storyline, well, it is; the same basic idea was used in 2001 in Heist, The Score, and to some extent in Ocean’s Eleven. However, none of the other films do even remotely the same thing with this idea as Sexy Beast does. Where in all the other movies, the robber is eventually convinced or blackmailed to come out of retirement for the last job, the robber in Sexy Beast, Gal, is never convinced to go. He turns down Don every chance he gets but Don is a man who simply does not have the word “no” in his vocabulary. At one point, after being refused once again by Gal, Don gets inches from Gal’s face screaming “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” as his face turns beet-red and spit flies from his mouth. Kingsley’s intensity in the role is what garnered him the Academy nod, but this film is not all about him. The story is wonderfully twisted and does not follow the predictable storyline of the mean gangster forcing the retired robber into another job, but takes a unique, darkly humorous path into the mind of a man who wants out and will do anything to get rid of the pressures of a man like Don. This movie is not so much about the life of a criminal, but about the mind of an ex-criminal. Gal is happy and content living in Spain with his beautiful wife and his best friend and how he got the money for his nice house and all his things does not concern him any longer. When Don shows up, Gal’s pleasant and passive side begins to break down and his criminal, angry side begins to show. What happens at Gal’s house is not revealed until the end of the film, but it is not what you expect and it further adds to the dark humor of the film. The tone and atmosphere are also fantastically memorable; Gal’s palatial Spanish estate has such a subdued feel to it, which contrasts quite sharply to Don’s intensity and rage. There is also a strange dance/techno mix version of “Sway” by Dean Martin playing throughout the film and the song’s oddly anachronistic quality reflects the idea of the hard-boiled gangster being out of place in the sensitive, sophisticated society of the twenty-first century. There is also some great symbolism throughout the film and one viewing is just not enough; it takes multiple viewings before some of the symbols really stick. This is a smart, stylish, funny but very brutal film that should not be grouped with the other “one last heist” movies, but if it was it would be the best. This is one of my favorite films of the year and I highly recommend it to any hard-core film lover.