’m sweatin’ here. Roasting. Boiling.” Gal Dove (Ray Winstone), soaking up the sun in a tiny yellow swimsuit in his backyard, desperate for a bit of relief from the heat, doesn’t even notice the massive boulder that narrowly misses his head as it careens down the mountainside and lands with a giant splash in the pool (a bit of foreshadowing for what is about to happen to his idyllic furlough. It has little effect on his retirement – or sabbatical – in Spain, however, as he parties away the days and nights with his wife Deedee (Amanda Redman) and their friends Aitch (Cavan Kendall) and Jackie (Julianne White). But the relaxation and pleasantries are about to abruptly end when his former boss, the impulsive, violent Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) from London calls and demands that Gal do one last job.

Unfortunately for Gal, Logan isn’t the kind of employer to take “no” for an answer. And he’s arriving in person the next day to ensure an appropriate response. Gal, who specialized in criminal activities (primarily safecracking) for Don’s illegal enterprises, is deemed a necessary component in breaking into a seemingly impregnable fortress of a facility – in desperate need of robbing. But while Gal wants to turn down the offer outright, Logan can be quite persuasive.

From the opening moments, with its unusual soundtrack for a gangster flick (characters are introduced with rollicking tunes) and its odd title reveal, “Sexy Beast” is pointedly artistic. It proceeds to use fantastical imagery, nightmarish hallucinations, and spontaneous flashbacks to add to the strangeness, going out of its way to highlight idiosyncratic personalities – and dangerous brutes. Its editing also boasts quick cuts, humorous repetition, a fixation on uncommon nakedness, and comical cursing, along with curious pauses for awkward interruptions – like a random goat bringing a car ride to a jerky halt. It’s stylistic and bizarre and funny, but also intermittently slow and weird.

Half of the movie transpires before it’s even remotely guessable as to whether or not Gal will accept the task. But it almost doesn’t matter; the story isn’t really about a high-stakes heist. Instead, it’s a character piece, examining the roughness of a mobster life – the stereotypical ways in which hoods are unable to escape or start over or permanently leave the business alive – and the eccentric, erratic players involved. Kingsley is sensational, giving a maniacal performance for an over-the-top villain, often overshadowing the other leads. And Winstone is effective, joined by a notably tough moll (an unlikely love story amid shady figures), rivaled by a sinister Ian McShane as the mastermind heavy behind the thievery idea. But with Kingsley going so overboard with his partly hilarious, partly horrifying antagonism, it’s difficult to find the other elements as rewarding or memorable. With first-time director Jonathan Glazer (whose repertoire includes many a music video) at the helm, “Sexy Beast” is an atypical, curiously un-suspenseful sort of crime drama (or crime comedy, of the expectedly dry, British variety), but its individual turns are forceful and engaging. The finale may include some predictable revelations and outcomes, but it’s still largely satisfying. “This is madness.”

– Mike Massie