Movieline June 2001

Sexy Beast. At their best, English gangster films have a distinctively acrid, hard-edged flavor. This one bears comparison with two early 70s gems, Performance and the original Get Carter. First-time helmer Jonathan Glazer is an MTV veteran, but unlike other directors who have jumped from music videos to features, he displays talent as well as flash. The cast is uniformly excellent, with fine work by Ray Winstone (pictured, with Ben Kingsley), Amanda Redman, Ian McShane and James Fox. Kingsley erases all memories of the saintly Gandhi in his astonishing turn as a sadistic, foulmouthed killer seething with hatred and bigotry. Despite a few arty excesses, this is a highly imaginative piece of filmmaking--and one hell of a scary ride.

by Stephen Farber.