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Released by: Twilight Time
Released on: August 13, 2013.
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Way Winstone, Ian McShane, Amanda Reidman
Year: 2000
Purchase From Screen Archives Entertainment
The Movie:
The feature film directorial debut of Jonathan Glazer, better known for his work on music videos than on movies, 2000's Sexy Beast begins with Gal (Ray Winstone) relaxing by the pool and soaking up some sun at his home in Spain. Gal's in his fifties, a retired gangster, and he has seen better days but he's enjoying himself… until a bolder rolls off of a nearby hill and almost crushes him, bouncing away at the last second and landing in the pool instead of on his chest. Foreshadowing? Absolutely.
From here we learn more about Gal's past and how he's left England for Spain to live happily with his wife, Deedee (Amanda Redman), a former porn star. They're content to take it easy and do their own thing and have no desire to get back into the game for one last score. This is where they differ from Teddy (Ian McShane). He's got plans for a heist and wants them in on it and he wants a few of their old cohorts, namely Aitch (Caven Kendall) and Jackie (Julianne White), in on it too. To make this happen, Teddy employs the services of Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), a not particularly menacing bald headed thug who sports a neatly groomed goatee and who just so happens to be a complete psychotic who absolutely will not take no for an answer. Throw in the fact that Don's got ties to Jackie's past that she'd rather not reminisce over but which call into question his true motivation for taking the job, and things get rather complicated for all involved.
While on the surface level this is a typical crime movie, the kind where, predictably enough, the gang gets back together for one last score it turns out to be more than that. First off, it's a character study and the focus of that study is Don Logan. We get to know this quirky little man, this short guy who is almost the antithesis of your typical movie gangster. He's not flashy, he shops at the discount store, he's cheap, he doesn't have a whole lot of tact and he is, in many ways, Teddy's attack dog. He's a bully in the true sense of the word, completely fine with using physical and mental intimidation to coerce Gal and company into seeing things the only way they can - his way. Yet, underneath all of this lunatic behavior and penchant for foul language, he's still got a thing for Jackie.
With so much of the focus of the movie centered around Logan's attempts to convince Gal to do the job, it's a testament to Kingsley's strengths as an actor that he pulls this role off as well as he does here. This is basically the opposite of what you consider a typical role for the man best known for playing Ghandi. Here veins pop in his forehead, he curses like you've never heard him curse before, and there's nothing remotely pacifist about him. Kingsley inhabits this character with obvious relish, you can tell he loves the part and he actually proves to be the perfect casting choice. He's not what you expect, but given the way that the movie plays out, nothing really is.
The supporting cast members are also very strong here. Ray Winstone is great as the pudgy retiree with the hot wife slowly but surely heading over the hill, and getting the chance to see him and Kingsley go back and forth is reason enough alone to want to see this. Likewise, the still very attractive Redman is equally excellent as the woman in question. Julianne White does a good job of showcasing her characters reluctance to get involved with Logan, she's very believable here, while Caven Kendall (in his last film - he passed away shortly after it was made) is also good. Ian McShane will probably never play a role as iconic as Al Swearengen in Deadwood but his work here as Teddy really is just as good. Few British actors bring as strong a sense of menacing authority to the screen as he does, and he proves to be the perfect casting choice.
One of those movies where everything comes together just the way that it should, Sexy Beast gives a lot more credit to the characters and their relationships than to the heist itself. Strong stuff, but so well acted and so well written that you can't help but love it.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Sexy Beast is presented in two different viewing options - 2.35.1 and 1.78.1 - both in AVC encoded 1080p high definition. Video quality doesn't differ much between the two options, both offer a nice upgrade over the previous DVD release. Some of the film looks fairly soft and some minor print damage shows up here and there. The softness would seem to stem back to the original photography, but detail and texture are certainly vastly improved over the DVD (which offered 2.35.1 only). Colors are nicely defined here, and black levels are quite good. Texture is also strong and there aren't any problems with noise reduction or edge enhancement. As to the dueling aspect ratios, things look tight in 2.35.1 where tops of heads go missing. That doesn't necessarily mean it looks wrong, but that's a fact. The 1.78.1 framing loses some information on the sides and gains some at the top and bottom of the frame. It looks a little better (compositionally, at least) to this reviewers eyes, but hey, it's good to have options. Either way you slice it, the movie looks really nice on Blu-ray.
Audio options are offered up in English only with your choice of a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix and a DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo track. The 5.1 mix definitely has more going on in terms of directionality and music placement but it stays true to form in how it handles most of the dialogue. The 2.0 track is a bit more subdued but likely closer to the film's theatrical mix. Clarity on both mixes is very good, and in a film like this that uses music so well, it's nice to be able to report that the score sounds excellent across the board. Dialogue is always easy to understand and sound effects, gun shots in particular, pack the right amount of power behind them. No problems with hiss or distortion here at all, top marks all around.
Carried over from the previous US DVD release is the commentary track with Sir Ben Kingsley and the film's producer, Jeremy Thomas. This is a scene specific talk in which the two participants calmly discuss what's happening on the screen in front of them and offer up some insight into how it played out behind the scenes or why it was done the way it was done. It's not the most bombastic or informative track you'll ever hear but it does allow us to get into Kingsley's head a little bit as he talks about the character he plays here, one of the most interesting roles of his entire career.
Also carried over from that past release is the seven minute featurette which includes some cast and crew interviews with the likes of Ben Kingsley, Way Winstone, Ian McShane, Amanda Reidman, Cavan Kendall, Julianne White, producer Jeremy Thomas, and director Jonathan Glazer.
Rounding out the extras is the film's original theatrical trailer, an isolated score track in DTS-HD 2.0, menus and chapter stops. Additionally, inside the keepcase we get a full color booklet of liner notes from Julie Kirgo that offer up some interesting background information and insight into the making of the film.
The Final Word:
A notably different sort of British gangster film, Sexy Beast is every bit as good as the accolades laid down upon it would have you believe. Kingsley steals the show but the supporting cast is all excellent as well and the film is as entertaining as it is delightfully nasty. The Blu-ray from Twilight Time carries over all of the extras from the previous domestic DVD and throws in an isolated score and some liner notes but more importantly offers the movie in two widescreen options and two lossless audio options, letting viewers make up their mind as to the preferred formatting. A strong release overall and a very solid upgrade over what has come before.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
