Disc Reviews
Sexy Beast 4K Review
It’s very strange for us Brits to realise that this film was not a hit upon release – because it almost seems instantaneous how well known, quoted and overwatched the film became over a very short period of time. This must have been due to the rental period of the film’s life – but Sexy Beast was something else when it hit. Sure, you have Ray Winstone, playing against type and doing a fantastic job holding his own against a stellar cast – who themselves are often playing against type. The most well-known of these is the performance from Ben Kingsley as the foul-mouthed fetcher Don Logan, sent to Spain to recruit Gal (Winstone) – A returned thief. Gal is very much at home with the heat and the swelter of Spain, and very much in love with his wife (Amanda Redman) and their friends from home who have also retired out there. When he’s not lounging on the pool out back, he’s entertaining guests with wine and steaks, or the couples are eating out. Enter Don Logan.
Suddenly everyone is quieter, afraid and terrified of their own shadows – and all due to this small man’s history of violence, temper and willingness to push others into the ground below him until his ego is satisfied that they are in their place below him. And Gal is lumped with the job of having to do most of the talking. You may think some of the characters are cowardly with the way they respond to Don, but they are simply playing as safe as they possibly can until the man goes away. But Don Logan won’t just go away.
Throw into the mix the big bad boss back home, who is another fine actor of his generation playing against type – Mr Lovejoy himself – Ian McShane. Fans of people who like to quote the film often put their focus on the loud, flashy and sweary antics of Kingsley’s Logan. But for pure terror and tension, all eyes need to be on McShane’s boss Teddy. His steely eyes pierce and search out the truth in anyone, whether they want to give it up or not. McShane displays a masterclass in how to terrify others with you in a room simply by body language and direct looks.
To say Sexy Beast is a British crime classic is merely to continue the echo of what was said over 25 years ago. Jonathan Glazer created a visually compelling film, put together by a truly excellent screenplay and all wrapped up in 90 minutes. Second Sight have done their 4K magic and delivered another MUST HAVE from their release schedule.
The extras are pretty good in terms of several interviews, including the producer and the three main men themselves, Winstone, Kingsley and McShane – all of whom fall over themselves to say very kind words about their director, and more certainly above all the two screenwriters. And there in is perhaps the only criticism of this release. Where is the director? No Interview. No Commentary. And where are the writers? Same. A word from these gents would have made this release beyond measure in terms of how much of a priority it would be for anyone’s shopping list. Particularly for film lovers and scholars who love to hear about any film’s journey. For the sake of posterity, they are very much missed, but we love what we have.
Steven Hurst
Special Features
- New Second Sight Films 4K restoration from the original camera negative supervised and approved by Director Jonathan Glazer
- Dual format edition including UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
- UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision
- New audio commentary by John Bleasdale
- That’s the Job: a new interview with Actor Ray Winstone
- Poetic Drama: a new interview with Actor Sir Ben Kingsley
- The Real Criminal: a new interview with Actor Ian McShane
- That’s Cinema: a new interview with Producer Jeremy Thomas
- Finding the Rhythm: a new interview with Editor Sam Sneade
- Beast Mode: Creating Don Logan – a video essay by Leigh Singer
- Behind the Scenes
- On Location
- Archive Cast & Crew Interviews
Limited Edition Contents
- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Neil Kellerhouse
- 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
- 7 collectors’ art cards
Sexy Beast 4K is released on 28th September