Sexy Beast

This profane British crime story is to be remembered more for its intoxicating visual vigor and one blowtorch performance than character arcs, caper thrills or revelatory surprises. Director Jonathan Glazer has turned the volcanic courtship of an ex-con by a former associate for one proverbial last heist into a vacuous neon-noir nightmare. Two retired Cockney Soprano-like thugs (Ray Winstone and Cavan Kendall) and their wives (Amanda Redman as former porn star and Julianne White as orgy participant) are enjoying retirement on the Costa Del Sol when their lives are invaded by associate Logan (Ben Kingsley as crass, expletive-spewing, corrosive menace). Logan physically attacks one hoodlum and spits: “I won’t let you be happy.” I believed him, but didn’t fell compelled to wallow in all the amoral muck here to watch it happen.