I had this movie recommended to me by a friend a couple of years ago and finally saw it last night. Has anybody else here seen it?
Ben Kingsley plays Don Logan, a character so vile and hypnotic that the only comparison I can make is with Victor the Cleaner from Nikita.
Victor was only in that movie for a few minutes, but I well remember the horror of his mere presence on the screen. It was as if once Victor stepped into the room the world consisted only of ravening madness.
In Sexy Beast, Kingsley's character steals the movie in the same way, but his character is far more nuanced. His insecurities and the contemptible way he expresses them only serve to make him even more loathsome.
One of the very best acting performances I've seen.
Sexy Beast
Moderators: dANdeLION, sgt.null
yeah! i saw it. thought it was a pretty good film altogether. i liked the whole cast. kingsley was great. 
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
-
Encryptic
- <i>Haruchai</i>
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- Location: I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you.
I just watched it a few days ago. Mixed thoughts about it...
Kingsley is great, of course, but I feel like I missed the point of the movie. Seems like it was more about Don being a complete asshole than anything else.
Kingsley is great, of course, but I feel like I missed the point of the movie. Seems like it was more about Don being a complete asshole than anything else.
Spoiler
As such, the beginning (before Don shows up) and the end (after Don gets killed at Gal's house and Gal goes to do the job in London) kind of left me feeling like "OK, was there supposed to be more to this?" Teddy knows Gal's lying about Don, but he doesn't care, so Gal's life goes back to normal after the job's over. I guess I was expecting him to get killed at the end or something.
Not to mention, what was the point of Teddy shooting (can't remember his name) the guy whose house they showed up at at 5 AM?
Not to mention, what was the point of Teddy shooting (can't remember his name) the guy whose house they showed up at at 5 AM?
I kinda see where you're coming from, but I thought the point of the movie was that so-called "hard-men" are indeed assholes and that they can tire of it and grow out of it (if they're not just flat-out insane like Don).Encryptic wrote:I just watched it a few days ago. Mixed thoughts about it...
Kingsley is great, of course, but I feel like I missed the point of the movie. Seems like it was more about Don being a complete asshole than anything else.
Spoiler
Teddy knows Gal's lying about Don, but he doesn't care, so Gal's life goes back to normal after the job's over. I guess I was expecting him to get killed at the end or something.
Not to mention, what was the point of Teddy shooting (can't remember his name) the guy whose house they showed up at at 5 AM?
Spoiler
So that's what I thought was intriguing about Teddy shooting the banker in the end. Teddy is basically making a point to Gal that he is still "well 'ard" and not to be messed with. But he's also admitting, by letting Gal live, that all the false cameraderie and bravado of the criminal lifestyle (as shown in the somewhat desperate reunions and post-job celebrations) has ultimately left him unfulfilled and questioning his own life.
Ten years before Teddy would have killed Gal for sure, on principle.
The fact that the robbery almost feels tacked-on to the story only highlights the fact that Teddy was merely trying to reclaim the adrenaline-rushes of his younger years. He only wanted to rob the bank "because it was there".
Teddy shot the banker in a world-weary and cynical attempt to validate his former life. He let Gal live because he realised that former life was essentially pointless and that Gal had moved on more than he had himself.
In such a time of self-realisation/contempt Teddy couldn't bring himself to care that a (previously useful) nutjob like Don had been killed.
Ten years before Teddy would have killed Gal for sure, on principle.
The fact that the robbery almost feels tacked-on to the story only highlights the fact that Teddy was merely trying to reclaim the adrenaline-rushes of his younger years. He only wanted to rob the bank "because it was there".
Teddy shot the banker in a world-weary and cynical attempt to validate his former life. He let Gal live because he realised that former life was essentially pointless and that Gal had moved on more than he had himself.
In such a time of self-realisation/contempt Teddy couldn't bring himself to care that a (previously useful) nutjob like Don had been killed.
Spoiler
I think it's telling that Gal does not really change during the movie, but is much more likeable at the end than the beginning.
