Sexy Beast 4K (2000) Sweltering Heat & Subversive Gangsters

Jonathan Glazer has a remarkable career. Alongside numerous music videos and memorable commercials, over the past two and a half decades, he has directed only four feature films, each of them highly distinctive. The intense psychological drama Birth could not be more different from the deeply strange science fiction Under The Skin, and his Oscar-winning The Zone of Interest imbues a period film with contemporary visual inflections. His feature debut, Sexy Beast, first released in 2000, is perhaps his most traditional genre film, embracing beats and tropes of the crime genre. However, Glazer delivers these in his own way delivering an electrifying thriller that is as surprising as it is familiar. 

If there is an immediate word to describe Sexy Beast, it would be hot, not only metaphorically but quite literally, as the sun of Spain’s Costa Del Sol falls entirely on the cast and bakes them rather nicely. This is evident from the opening shot – an image that became associated with the film through its marketing and adorns the cover of this 4K Limited Edition – Ray Winstone sunbathing, his body the colour of a well-barbecued sausage. The heat extends throughout the film, Winstone’s cockney thief Gal living a blissful retirement from a life of crime in Spain with his wife Deedee (Amanda Redman). Their days consist of sunbathing, swimming, occasional hunting and hanging out with their friends, Aitch (Cavan Kendall) and Jackie (Julianne White). The peace of this idyllic life is interrupted, first by a boulder that falls down the hill above their villa and damages the swimming pool, and by the arrival of feared London gangster Don Logan (Ben Kingsley). Dreams also feature jarring invasions, as an Uzi-toting humanoid hare threatens Gal while he sits at a dining table in the middle of the desert. The sudden intrusion of the rock as well as Don (and the hare) sets up a sustained elemental quality to the film – where heat, water and stone are frequently juxtaposed. Wide-angled shots show the Spanish desert shimmering in the heat haze; the white walls of the villa stand out against the sandy colour of the surrounding hillside. And a stony resolve is what Don brings with him, demanding that Gal return to London for that genre cliché, one last job. 

From a narrative perspective, Sexy Beast does little that is unusual – a viewer familiar with the gangster genre can probably predict what will follow. However, the visual style as well as the cunning script is striking enough to leave the viewer more than slightly dazzled. Deep focus shots are sparsely populated, the figures of Gal, Don and others isolated within the parched landscape and neatly ordered home. The intense brightness of these sequences, rather than presenting a paradise, feels oppressive and threatening, Don’s arrival a manifestation of both the violence of Gal’s past and an almost demonic figure emerging from a hellscape. By contrast, sequences that take place in London are largely interior, with crowded frames and dark production design, as well as a key set piece that resonates elementally with events in Spain. Stone intrudes, water facilitates, heat envelops and, while initially relaxing, later threatens. 

Within this milieu, Glazer uses an impressive range of stylistic features, including slow motion, quick cuts, a fragmented storyline and sudden outbursts of violence. While this violence is sporadic, its potential is constant thanks to a sustained sense of menace, largely associated with the character of Don. Kingsley’s Oscar-nominated performance which has understandably become iconic, both in terms of his extremely foul language, often delivered as part of long speeches during which he does not appear to pause for breath, as well as his remarkable physical performance. Don is unnaturally tense to the point of almost being rigid, like a mannequin granted motion by his Satanic master Teddy Bass (Ian McShane). Winstone for the most part appears reserved, Gal not rising to the bait and keeping his cool in the heat, but the evident tension beneath his relaxed veneer contrasts well with Don’s stiffness. We are waiting for something to erupt, but Glazer keeps us waiting and guessing, much as he does with precise use of foreshadowing and flashbacks. 

The other characters are largely background, including the mostly tokenistic female figures, although Jackie is at the centre of an interesting development. This is consistent with the film as a whole, which works as an investigation into masculinity, from the laconic and loving Gal to the violent and oblivious Don and the immensely self-assured Teddy. The cast apply themselves gamely, chewing the scenery with relish but always of a piece with the overall milieu. The combination of overt style, genre beats and prominent performances make Sexy Beast a hyper-real instance of the gangster heist film, one that echoes its forebears while also crafting its own identity, an identity that has proved memorable and warranting this loving attention from Second Sight Films. 

This 4K restoration from the original camera negative, supervised and approved by director Glazer, allows Sexy Beast to truly shimmer. The Spain sequences are the most memorable, allowing the viewer to practically feel the heat radiating from the tiles of Gal and Deedee’s villa thanks to the visuals of cinematographer Ivan Bird. The blue of the swimming pool contrasts with the hues of stone, while the white clothes of Don especially stand out like beacons. In the London sequences, the darker colours provide a strong contrast, the deep blacks providing an inky darkness that Gal struggles to escape. 

To accompany the film, Second Sight have created a veritable vault of varied extras. These include a new audio commentary by film critic John Bleasdale, author of ‘Darkness Visible: The Cinema of Jonathan Glazer’. Bleasdale gives perhaps too much description, but highlights an intriguing contrast between the visuals and the music. He also relates Sexy Beast to earlier films and the gangster genre more widely, and his insightful analysis of aspects like Don’s invasion of Gal’s domestic space is balanced with character and thematic analysis. In what proves to be a recurring feature across the extras, he draws attention to the counter-intuitive casting of Ben Kingsley.

CLICK THE BOX ART AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO BUY SEXY BEAST, AND TO SUPPORT THE GEEK SHOW

There are multiple retrospective interviews with the creatives involved in the film. ‘That’s the Job’ sees Ray Winstone describe the role of Gal as distinctive, placing the film within the context of his career as well as the British film industry. He recounts rediscovering an urge for acting, his admiration for his co-stars, and the benefits of working with first-time directors like Glazer, as a lack of experience means a lack of preconceptions. Winstone’s warmth and generosity to his fellow actors shines through, making him seem far more pleasant to associate with than his co-star. In ‘Poetic Drama’, Sir Ben Kingsley comes across as somewhat pretentious with references to his ‘journey’ and his ‘molecules’ and, despite promising not to, labours the point about the brilliance of the script, describing it as a Jacobean tragedy and Don Logan as an Iago. Like Winstone, he offers contextual information, praise for fellow actors and the director, and insight into his influences via a discussion of Spencer Tracy. The triumvirate is completed with ‘The Real Criminal’, in which Ian McShane echoes his co-stars on the film’s ‘extraordinary script’ and discusses Glazer’s previous work as well as the critical reception. He also expresses some of the bizarre nature of a film shoot, with particular reference to a cushion and sweat tubes.

Further interviews include ‘That’s Cinema’ with Producer Jeremy Thomas and ‘Finding the Rhythm’ with Editor Sam Sneade. Thomas explains the process that led to the film being made and, like Kingsley, describes the script as ‘poetic’ and ‘Shakesperean’, though his mention of the genre elements gives the film wider context. Perhaps most interesting is his description of the changes in the production landscape since the film’s release, with understandable regret about the increased difficulties with raising money. Notably, Thomas is keen to ‘demystify’ the process of filmmaking and emphasises the will needed to complete it. Sneade provides reflections and insights, as well as some charming anecdotes about screenings. He is possibly the most engaging of the interviewees due to his sense of fun and self-deprecation, and his discussion of his increased involvement, from peripheral to central, is a great demonstration of the collaborative nature of filmmaking.

Like many a Second Sight release, Sexy Beast comes with a video essay, this one delivered by film journalist Leigh Singer and entitled ‘Beast Mode: Creating Don Logan’. Singer gives background on Kingsley, highlighting the actor’s versatility, and why Don Logan is a contrast to his normal roles—a point also made in the commentary and several interviews. He balances this with analysis of Ray Winstone’s screen persona, highlights aspects of the script that were omitted, and speculates on elements of Don’s character not in the film. Clips from the various films mentioned are used judiciously to reflect the narration, and Singer’s astute analysis is expressed visually through split screens, arrows and captions, giving the video essay a vibrant quality much like the feature itself.

Less engaging are the older materials from the time of the film’s production, which include ‘Behind the Scenes’, ‘On Location’ and ‘Archive Cast & Crew Interviews’. There is a lot of overlap here, so the different pieces could have been compiled. The non-upgraded footage and clumsier editing make this material stick out from the more recent extras. It is also notable that, aside from these archive materials, Glazer is conspicuously absent from the release. This is a little disappointing because his retrospective views and insights would doubtless be interesting, especially in relation to his wider work.

This dual format edition includes both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs. It comes in a rigid slipcase with new artwork by Neil Kellerhouse, a 160-page hardback book with new essays by David Michael Brown, Jamie Graham, Joel Harley, Nathan Lunn, Christina Newland, Katie Rife, Hannah Strong and Travis Woods, as well as 7 collectors’ art cards. All in all, this edition is a fine addition to the collection of any film fan, thanks to the limited oeuvre of the director and the enduring legacy of the film.

VINCENT’S ARCHIVE – SEXY BEAST