Sexy Beast

**** out of 4.5
DVD released in 2001
Length of movie - approx 89 minutes
How long did the movie seem to take? - approx 89 minutes
Extra features on DVD - Don't know...just watched the movie.

This movie was recommended by a co-worker, and it shows what kind of twisted minds I work with. This seedy gangster flick is a British Pulp Fiction. The violence is disturbing, the language is oppressively profane, the nudity and sexual content is raw. A truly delightful film.

This movie is generally classified as drama, but the ironies and dark humor make it more of a dramedy. Think Fargo, Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill, but not that slick. And that's the appeal for me. The rawness of Ben Kingsley's performance gives this a definite British edge.

When I understood the dialogue, it was great. Lots of rapid patter English gangster lingo, in a dialect that would make Professor Higgins double over with revulsion. Unfortunately I didn't understand a quarter of it because my hearing's going, and the accent is so thick.

The soundtrack was suitably fast paced with a deep pulsing that disturbed Rikki, our mostly deaf dog. The photography was beautifully stylized, using an interesting revolving door shot, and odd perspective shots, like a camera embedded in a boulder rolling down a mountainside (probably digital, but still interesting.)

Kingsley does a fantastic job portraying a brutal nutso gangster. But the real story is buried in the relationship between the retired crook Kingsley is trying to recruit for one more job, and his wife. The ultimate plot ends up being a romantic tale of enduring love, all wrapped up in debauchery, violence, crime, evil intentions, and one of those old British "great caper" robbery scenes.

This is not a date movie. Some scenes are disturbing. Don't watch with your children unless you want to be arrested. But if you want a beautifully crafted, well acted movie that uses a wry sense of humor to transport you into a different world ...watch this movie.

Next up...The Sopranos, Season 1.