--- title: "Sexy Beast: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/sexy-beast/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/sexy-beast" critics_score: 72 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Sexy Beast (2001): what the critics said Critics' score 72 from 12 reviews: 8 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Sexy Beast, finding fresh energy in its familiar gangster premise through strong performances, dark humour and Glazer’s visual flair. Praise centres on Ben Kingsley’s Don Logan, whose aggression is widely described as both frightening and absurdly funny. Ray Winstone provides a contrasting presence, with several reviews finding emotional substance beneath the threats and stylistic flourishes. The strongest notices value the film’s attention to character as much as its menace. Reservations cluster around the structure: several critics find the caper material less compelling than the tense Spanish-set passages, leaving the film uneven. Others question whether Glazer’s visual tricks compensate for the script’s weaknesses. The spread is wide, though outright hostility is unusual. Total Film supplies the sharpest dissent, rejecting the pacing and writing and finding Kingsley irritating rather than threatening—a direct disagreement with the performance praise that anchors the consensus. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 22 June 2001. The critic highlights Ben Kingsley's ferocious, unhinged performance as the psychotic gangster Don Logan as the standout element. The film is praised for blending Cockney gangster tropes with dark humor, strong characterizations, and memorable scenes of menace and absurdity. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sexy-beast-2001) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 January 2001. The critic hails it as one of the most purely enjoyable British gangster films seen in years, cheerfully delivering laughs, menace and classical thrills in the caper genre. He singles out Ben Kingsley's intense, funny performance as the psychopathic Don Logan and the surreal boulder incident that disrupts the opening idyll. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/jan/12/1) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Glazer's debut brings visual flair and showmanship to a straightforward gangster story, with standout turns from Ben Kingsley and Ray Winstone carrying the emotional weight. The film is hailed as the last great British gangster flick thanks to its central trio and original flourishes. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/sexy-beast-review/) ## The New York Times — A. O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 June 2001. The review celebrates the film's stylish visuals and rhythmic direction alongside its emotional depth and authentic performances, especially Kingsley's menacing turn. It notes how the story of a retired gangster pulled back into crime delivers both sensation and genuine feeling. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/13/movies/film-review-wanna-escape-the-life-not-a-chance-mate.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 June 2001. The review commends the strong plot, vivid visuals, and excellent performances, particularly Kingsley's chilling portrayal of a relentless gangster. It notes the director's excitement in moving from commercials to features while handling character-driven material effectively. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-13-ca-9687-story.html) ## Radio Times — Dave Aldridge Rating 4/5. The film looks like another gangster movie but surprises with visual flair from debut director Glazer and especially Ben Kingsley's terrifying performance as the psychopathic Don. It builds effective menace and tension in the first half before the caper subplot weakens it slightly. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-4plu4c/sexy-beast/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 June 2001. The critic singles out Ben Kingsley's terrifying, Iago-like performance as the film's driving force and praises the ironic title and cool, precise direction in the Spanish sections. The London heist sequences are seen as less effective, diluting the overall impact. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/06/18/exiles-5) ## IndieWire Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 15 June 2001. The critic finds the film smug in its genre-bending approach but praises its strong performances. The review highlights the cast's contributions amid the film's stylistic choices. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-genre-bending-sexy-beast-smug-with-strong-perfs-80919/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. Festival review. Glazer's debut delivers acrobatic visuals and strong lead performances from Winstone and especially Kingsley that help offset a mongrel story mixing heist and psychological elements with a disappointing caper sequence. The Tarantinoesque ambitions are clever but not fully effective. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/sexy-beast/404758.article) ## Variety — Derek Elley Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 2000. Festival review. The review finds the film enjoyable but uneven, with a standout jaw-dropping performance by Ben Kingsley dominating the Spanish-set first half. It criticizes the lopsided structure and hollow feeling overall despite strong casting and visual flair from the director's music-video background. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/sexy-beast-1200464166/) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 12 January 2001. The film is dismissed as a badly paced and shonkily scripted mess that feels like outtakes, with Ben Kingsley's irritating performance destroying any menace. Glazer's visual tricks are noted but deemed insufficient to save it from the glut of uninspired British gangster movies. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/sexy-beast-review/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias 13 June 2001. The critic calls the film a taut and ferociously entertaining gangster story distinguished by its lead performances. Ray Winstone and especially Ben Kingsley are singled out for their riveting, contrasting portrayals that invigorate the familiar premise. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/sexy-beast-1798192681) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2001. The critic finds the film quirky as a gangster movie and surprising as a love story, with strong naturalistic performances highlighting an unfashionably strong marriage. Glazer's debut indulges some stylistic tricks from his commercial background, but Kingsley's chilling, unhinged turn as Logan stands out as the key strength. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/sexy-beast-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/sexy-beast.md