Sexy Beast

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Sexy Beast

R

Released Sep 13, 2000

1h 29m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

87%

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143 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Ex-villain Gal Dove (Ray Winstone) has served his time behind bars and is blissfully retired to a Spanish villa paradise with a wife he adores. The idyll is shattered by the arrival of his nemesis Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), intent on persuading Gal to return to London for one last big job. Desperate not to sacrifice his enchanted existence, Dove is drawn into a shocking battle of wills with Logan, and takes part in a sensational underwater heist, risking everything to protect the woman he loves.

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Critics Consensus

Sexy Beast rises above other movies in the British gangster genre due to its performances -- particularly an electrifying one by Ben Kingsley -- and the script's attention to character development.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

A crime film like no other, Sexy Beast is composed of moments of startling audacity, visual and dramatic, that arrive in waves, just long enough for you to catch your breath before the next.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 3, 2021

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Anthony Lane

The New Yorker

The movie needs to be seen for its clean compositions, for its sure touch of fantasy, and, above all, for the forbidding presence of Kingsley-the prince of darkness, lightly disguised as a human being.

Sep 14, 2020

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David Ansen

Newsweek

The talented Glazer keeps things crisp, clean and purposeful. The only flab on this film is around the waist of its sybaritic hero, a working-class crook who has finally gotten a taste of the good life, and doesn't want to lose it.

Mar 31, 2008

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Michael D. Reid

Victoria Times Colonist (B.C., Canada)

A gorgeously vitriolic crime flick with a personality all its own.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 30, 2024

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

Remember the Gandhi of Ben Kingsley? Wait until you seem him here as Don Logan, a psychotic gangster, the British equivalent of Pesci in GoodFellas. Kingsley's work is more bizarrely eccentric. And more accomplished.

Rated: A-

Apr 30, 2024

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…doesn’t have much to do with sex or beasts, despite the giant machine-gun-toting Donnie Darko rabbit that haunts Gal’s dreams, but in terms of British art-house gangster movies, Jonathan Glazer’s uncouth film remains the 200-pound-gorilla in the room…

Rated: 4/5

Jan 16, 2024

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Audience Member

A well received movie when it came out- watching in 2025= still great. I strongly suggest you subtitle it or you'll miss most of the dialogue EVEN if you're British. They don't annunciate very well and deliver the lines with a spitfire rapidity. Great acting, great story, an must addition to your library.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/21/25

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Barrie S

If you like continuous foul language, you’ll like this film. Obviously made to impress London’s criminal underworld, sleazy council estates and gutter-dwellers. Could have been a lot better.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

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mark g

Brilliant in every sense of the word. One of my favorite films of all time. Winstone, Kingsley, McShane, all shine as bright as you can.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/13/24

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Jim P

Kingsley is terrifying in this movie, an absolutely stunning performance.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/08/24

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stephen b

Great tension w/o the need for any dumb car chases or exaggerrated shootouts

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/26/24

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Alec C

You may be out of the game, but that doesn't mean that it's through with you! Gal Dove enjoys his retirement along with his friends at his relaxing villa, only for the unstable Don Logan to arrive on his doorstep asking to pull off one last job and won't take no for an answer. Funny, yet brutally intense at the same time, this crime thriller manages to stick with you after it's done!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

Full Review

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Jonathan Glazer

Director

Ray Winstone

Gary "Gal" Dove

Ben Kingsley

Don Logan

Ian McShane

Teddy Bass

Amanda Redman

Deedee

Cavan Kendall

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Synopsis

Ex-villain Gal Dove (Ray Winstone) has served his time behind bars and is blissfully retired to a Spanish villa paradise with a wife he adores. The idyll is shattered by the arrival of his nemesis Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), intent on persuading Gal to return to London for one last big job. Desperate not to sacrifice his enchanted existence, Dove is drawn into a shocking battle of wills with Logan, and takes part in a sensational underwater heist, risking everything to protect the woman he loves.

Director: Jonathan Glazer
Producer: Jeremy Thomas
Screenwriter: Louis Mellis, David Scinto
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: Jonathan Glazer Film, Recorded Pictures Company, Jeremy Thomas Production
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Pervasive Language|Strong Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 13, 2000, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.9M
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, DTS, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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