London villain goes into retirement on the Costa del Crime but is 'persuaded' back to do one last job. It's the kind of story told many times before, often badly. Jonathan Glazers' directorial debut however revisits this old territory with a unique style of its own. From the surreal dream sequences to the razor sharp dialogue, it never lets up.

Ex-con and safe-cracker Gary "Gal" Dove (Ray Winstone) is enjoying his idyllic lifestyle in Spain with his beloved wife DeeDee (Amanda Redman) and his longtime friend Aitch and his wife Jackie. Their tranquillity is shattered by the arrival of an old criminal associate, Don Logan (Ben Kingsley). Logan has been sent out to bring Gal back for a major bank heist and he's not taking no for an answer. The reaction of Gal and DeeDee and their friends, upon hearing of Logans' imminent arrival, sets the tone for this most unwelcome of visitors.

It's the measure of a great actor that the man who earlier in his career had played the title role in Richard Attenboroughs' 'Gandhi' is so convincing in the role of a vicious sociopath. From the moment he appears on-screen Kingsleys' ferocious portrayal of Logan dominates every scene he appears in and his fearsome presence begins a chain of events from which there will be no going back.

Upon returning to London Gal is reunited with Teddy Bass, the heist organiser, played by Ian McShane, another superb performance. In any other film McShane would have won the acting plaudits. The film lingers long in the memory for Kingsleys' role though.

The cast and quality of acting turn 'Sexy Beast' from a standard crime caper film into something quite different. Winstone is excellent as Gal, a man whose past demons come back to consume him and push him to breaking point. There is also a terrific performance from Amanda Redman as DeeDee, his beleaguered wife. Crime thrillers rarely portray female lead characters with any real substance but Amanda Redman here, like Sharon Stone in Scorseses' 'Casino' is a notable exception.

More than 10 years on 'Sexy Beast' still stands as one of the best crime thrillers made. In 2004 it was voted 15th best British film of all time by 'Total Film' magazine.