Action, black comedy and violence all figure prominently in this tense crime drama that illustrates brilliantly how a combination of stylish presentation, good pacing and interesting characters can elevate a hackneyed plot into something special. Its story about an ex-criminal getting involved in "one last job" is told with great economy, quirkiness and realism and the dialogue (although heavily laden with profanities) is sharp, punchy and witty throughout.

After a criminal career that ended with a prison sentence, ex-safe-cracker Gal Dove (Ray Winstone) has retired to a comfortable lifestyle in Spain's Costa del Sol where he enjoys living with his ex-porn star wife Deedee (Amanda Redman) and sunning himself by his villa's swimming pool. One day, his tranquillity is interrupted when a boulder unexpectedly tumbles down the steep hill just behind where he'd been sun bathing and after missing him by the narrowest of margins, comes to rest at the bottom of his pool. This scary incident turns out to be something of an omen, as shortly after, one of his old criminal associates arrives from London to try to persuade him to take part in a planned bank heist.

The idyllic existence that Gal, Deedee and their best friends Aitch (Cavan Kendall) and Jackie (Julianne White) had shared up until that point ends abruptly with the arrival of Don Logan (Ben Kingsley). They're all terrified of this unhinged sociopath who they know, from previous experience, has an explosive temper and is capable of extreme violence. Gal doesn't want to get involved in any form of criminal activity again, especially as he'd promised Deedee that he wouldn't. She's the love of his life and he's desperate not to break his promise to her but also fully realises the threat that he's under if he doesn't do what Logan wants. The exchanges that take place when they all meet are characterised by extreme fear on the parts of the four local residents and a whole welter of diabolical threats made by the foul-mouthed Logan.

A little while after the meeting at the villa, Gal arrives in London where he meets crime boss Teddy Bass (Ian McShane). He's the mastermind behind the plan to break into a safe-deposit vault from the Turkish bath establishment next door and as Logan works for him, he questions Gal about his recruiter's whereabouts. Gal tells him that the two men travelled back to London separately and claims that they'd spoken to each other by phone after Logan's arrival at Heathrow. Bass looks more than a little sceptical about this information but nevertheless, the heist goes ahead as planned and after it's completed successfully, Gal's anxiety remains at an almost unbearably high level until he gets back home with the intention of making a quick return to the life of leisure that he loves so much.

"Sexy Beast" provides a very authentic-looking picture of the London gangster fraternity and conveys just how threatening people like Logan and Bass are. Ben Kingsley makes a huge impact as Logan whose raging and determination not to take "no" for an answer, is incredibly unrelenting and makes any attempt at negotiation or reasoning totally impossible. Teddy Bass is more cultivated, soft-spoken and suave but also carries an enormous threat as is clearly shown in some of the action that follows the heist. Ian McShane makes his character's viciousness absolutely convincing and Ray Winstone, in a wonderfully sensitive performance, does a great job of making his flabby, gone-to-seed, ex-con into a really sympathetic character who's impossible to dislike. The quality of the supporting performances is also consistently top class.

Amusingly, the boulder incident that came so close to killing Gal at the beginning of the story also provides him with an important solution to his life-threatening problem by the end of the story.

18 years ago I think I thought of it as another flashy, profane, British gangster movie with an astonishing performance by Ben Kingsley. Now I think it's one of the best flashy, profane, creative and well written, British or not, heist movies made. With an astonishing performance by Ben Kingsley. Everybody's good. Behind and in front of the camera What really surprised me was how good it is now, how well made it is that it could have been released this week and there'd be nothing to complain about.

A small-scale heist thriller in which the heist itself comes across as secondary to the film's main interest and rather redundant by the time it happens. The main interest is, of course, a barnstorming performance from Sir Ben Kingsley as one absolutely dangerous, over-the-edge gangster. Kingsley is superb here and makes for one of the funniest, most chilling characters of all time. The dialogue hums and zings while even at the same time the plotting is nothing more than predictable.

It's hardly worth bothering with the other characters, although Ray Winstone holds it all together as a likable enough retired gangster type. Ian McShane's around too, but wasted in a minor role and really it's the interaction between Kingsley and the rest of the cast you'll be watching: as outrageous, profane, insane and genuinely funny as any other film I can think of.