“I am just going to have to turn this opportunity down.”
“No, you’re just gonna have to turn this opportunity yes!”
sociopath (noun)
- A person who is completely unable or unwilling to behave in a way that is acceptable to society.
- Don Logan
The movie begins innocuously enough, with retired gangster and safe cracker Gal baking in the intense Mediterranean sun, pooling at his Spanish Villa. A giant boulder rolls down the hill and into his pool, providing a harbinger of things to come. The quaint tranquil life of Gal, his wife and his friends is broken with the news of a phone call and the imminent arrival of a much more dangerous and sinister human boulder, Don Logan, is about to enter his life.
Ben Kingsley s performance is simply over the top madness that will have you squirming with discomfort, then quaking in fear. He is a part-time gangster and full time intimidator and enforcer. He is a speeding train without brakes, a Looney-Toons Tasmanian Devil with tourettes, a pit bull with A.I.D.S., only much, much worse. Don has come to wrest Gal out of retirement, to recruit him for one more heist, and he is not one to take no for an answer. The dialogue between Don and Gal is a Mametian-like staccato that will have you back on your heels. “No-no-no-no…Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes” has never been uttered with more spitting vitriol and the confrontation builds to unbearable levels.
This is a British Cockney movie that is totally dominated by Ben Kingsley, but his over the top performance is nicely complimented by some other bad-ass heavyweights such as Ray Winstone and Ian McShane as Teddy Bass. After watching the first half of the movie it is hard to imagine that there could be a more sinister character than Don Logan, but there is and his name is Teddy Bass.
If you are looking for some sort of block bursting plot, you will not find it here. There are many questions, if you must ask them, about the plot and specifically what were the skills of Gall that were in such demand for this heist? It really doesn’t matter, just enjoy this wonderful movie and don’t worry about the Wabbit.
NOTE: Even though this movie is in English, you may want to treat it like a foreign film and turn on the subtitles. A lot of subtlety can be missed with the clipped British slang that is so pervasive in the film. The profanity that Don Logan spews like second nature is a true art form, so you don’t want to miss it.
Quotes and one-liners:
- “Talk to me Gal, I’m here for you. I’m a good listener” -Don Logan
- “Shut up, cunt. You louse. You got some fuckin’ neck ain’t you. Retired? Fuck off, you’re revolting. Look at your suntan, it’s leather, it’s like leather man, your skin. We could make a fucking suitcase out of you. Like a crocodile, fat crocodile, fat bastard. You look like fucking Idi Amin, you know what I mean? Stay here? You should be ashamed of yourself. Who do you think you are? King of the castle? Cock of the walk?” -Don Logan (the good listener)
- “No-Yes-No-Yes-No” “You fat cunt!” NO! “Yes-Yes-YES!” -Gal and Don Logan
- “Oh, yeah. Bloody hell. I’m sweating in here. Roasting. Boiling. Baking. Sweltering. It’s like a sauna. Furnace. You can fry an egg on my stomach. Ohh, who wouldn’t lap this up? It’s ridiculous. Tremendous. Fantastic. Fan-dabby-dozy-tastic.” -Gal
- “Not this time, Gal. Not this time. Not this fucking time. No. No no no no no no no no no! No! No no no no no no no no no no no no no! No! Not this fucking time! No fucking way! No fucking way, no fucking way, no fucking way! You’ve made me look a right cunt!” -Don Logan
- “If I cared, Gal, if I fucking cared. If I gave one solitary fuck about Don… get out of the fucking car!” -Teddy Bass