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Amazon.co.uk Review
Fed up with the seemingly endless succession of Brit gangster flicks? Or just wish that someone would reinvent the genre? Either way, Sexy Beast is for you. While reintroducing some of the well-worn characters of recent years, the film at least attempts to take a sideways look at the genre. Centred on the lives of two ex-con ex-pats and their new lives in Spain, the story is one concerning the conflict between the past and the present. Ray Winston is Gel, who, enjoying his life of early retirement in the sun, finds his loyalties called into question when asked to return to Britain to take part in an audacious heist. There's not much else to say plot wise, but the script and cast is so strong that the film gets away with it. Eschewing the younger brat pack in favour of the likes of Winston, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman (sadly under-used) and Ben Kingsley (whose ultra foul-mouthed Don steals every scene) gives the film a calm authority. Quite violent--although more in language than action--but not without its moments of brilliant humour, Sexy Beast is an intelligent, enthralling and welcome addition to the gangster-film genre. --Phil Udell
Synopsis
Award-winning Jonathan Glazer presents his feature film debut with this lushly photographed, expertly written, and brilliantly performed convention-defying gangster film. Sexy Beast jettisons the slickness of the "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" school in favor of intricate character development. In its opening shot, Gary "Gal" Dove (Ray Winstone)--a big-bellied ex-gangster with a cockney accent--is sunning himself by the pool at his luxe villa in Spain, when a gigantic boulder hurtles down a hillside, almost killing him. The near miss serves as a troublesome portent, but it hardly affects Gal, who is immersed in his tranquil life with wife Deedee (Amanda Redman), who he adores with earnest fervor. However, Gal's peace is soon shattered by the arrival of Don Logan (Ben Kingsley, using his shaved skull, spare frame, and ramrod posture to pose as an anti-Gandhi), a brutal former accomplice looking to recruit Gal for a heist. A battle of wills ensues when Gal refuses to leave retirement, and the frighteningly intense Don refuses to take no for an answer. Glazer expertly heightens the film's tension using shifts in the pacing and flashbacks, while Kingsley and Winstone imbue their characters with gorgeous life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie, average video quality,
By Dion (Bremen) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sexy Beast Blu-ray (Blu-ray)
To begin with, in 1,78:1 you see more of the picture, since the movie was filmed in 16:9 and then cropped to 2,35:1 for the cinematic and DVD releases. I do not know which aspect ratio was intended for being the "true" one, but on this Blu-ray, you see everything you saw on DVD - and more. You'll find a comparison of screenshots on the DVDBeaver-Website, so you can decide which one you like better.
On the other hand, this release has some serious technical drawbacks - a 1080i-picture on a BD-25 is not what I expect from a release of a movie that was shot only about ten years ago. Although the image quality is clearly superior to the DVD, there's much room for further visual improvement. The audio is also not lossless, which may be due to the fact that the movie takes about 18 GB of space on the single-layered disc. There's nothing to say about the movie itself - in my opinion, it's one of the best crime-comedys of all times. So if you do not own this movie on DVD, you can buy this Blu-ray and enjoy it - or just wait for a re-release with a 1080p-picture.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jonny Magic,
By A Customer
This review is from: Sexy Beast [VHS] [2001] (VHS Tape)
Sexy Beast it is quite simply fantastic.I would rate this movie as being in the top three British gangster films of all time, along with Get Carter and The Long Good Friday, way ahead of other recent splurges of cinematic mockney psychopaths running amok. Ex-criminal Gary 'Gal' Dove (Ray Winstone) has built a happy life by the pool for himself and wife his Dee-Dee (Amanda Redman) somewhere in Spain. The idyllic bubble is burst one day by the arrival of 'old friend' Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), who is intent on persuading Gal to return to London to perform one last big heist. Drawn by the psychotic Logan into a battle of wills, Gal risks everything to protect his carefully constructed world and the woman he loves. Returning to London to take part in a sensational safe deposit robbery. Beautifully directed by Jonathan Glazer (him of lone surfer Guinness advert fame). The genius stroke is the casting of Ben Kingsley, Shakespearian actor, winner of an Oscar playing the world's greatest pacifist as Gal's nemesis, Don. He is brilliant as, quiet frankly, an absolute nutter. There are also excellent, but warped cameos by James Fox and Ian McShane. It is stylish, sexy and compelling.
30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This is an HD DVD port! DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!,
By
This review is from: Sexy Beast Blu-ray (Blu-ray)
Sexy Beast is one of my favourite films, and as soon as I heard this was coming out in the UK on Blu-ray I had high hopes that it would be done right, since it's a British film. Instead, Film Four have made a direct port of their defunct Sexy Beast [HD DVD] [2000] which they put out in early 2008, with the only difference being that the Blu-ray is region-locked. This HD transfer is single-layered in 1080i and not full 1080p, with the film taking up only 18 GB of space, and is very likely in the wrong aspect ratio (I believe it should be seen in 2.35:1 as it is on DVD, but this Blu-ray is 1.85:1) which distorts the composition of the picture. The audio is DTS-HD High Resolution, meaning it is not lossless audio like DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD. The supplements duplicate the 2008 DVD edition Sexy Beast [DVD] [2000] with only the Kingsley/producer commentary, the short (less than ten minutes) behind-the-scenes documentary, and some trailers. 4dvd is just entering the Blu-ray market and they need to realise that consumers don't want bare minimum efforts on their Blu-ray titles. Send Film Four a message that you want them to use the Blu-ray format to its full potential, with full 1080p transfers in proper aspect ratios onto dual-layered Blu-rays, complete with lossless audio and maybe even some new extras. For now, stick with the Sexy Beast [DVD] [2000] or if you have an HD DVD player, go ahead and pick that up used. You can find each much cheaper than the price asked for this truly mediocre Blu-ray.
For the technically inclined, here are the specifications of this Blu-ray Disc: Title: Sexy Beast [Blu-ray] Length: 1:28:17 Feature size: 18,406,846,464 bytes Disc size: 19,571,669,180 bytes Video codec: 1080i VC-1 @ 23.64 Mbps Audio codec: English: DTS-HR 5.1 (48 kHz/24-bit) @ 2046 Kbps Subtitles: English, None Region coding: Region B
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