It's flashy and sassy, but Sexy Beast is really just a modern take on an old story.

A boulder, a gun, a bank heist... it''s hard, at first, to tell where Sexy Beast is going. The boulder goes in the pool with a tremendous splash, there are several guns, and the bank heist is just icing on the cake. I''m tempted to call this the most shocking, remarkable film since Reservoir Dogs, but that''s a bit much. It''s tough, scary, and shocking, yes, but it lacks the brick-wall smashup of Quentin Tarantino''s film. As near as I can see it''s closer to some of Guy Ritchie''s work--a more adult version of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. One thing''s for sure: You''ll never think of Ben Kingsley as Gandhi again--a peacemaker he''s not.

Kingsley plays Don Logan, the Sexy Beast of the title, I suppose, and although he is most definitely a beast, he''s only sexy (maybe) to Jackie (Julianne White). Jackie and her husband Aitch have forsaken the gloomy British drizzle for the sunny overkill of Spain, where they''re chumming around with Gal (Ray Winstone) and his wife DeeDee (Amanda Redman).

Logan, a bald-headed bogeyman prone to violent outbursts, once slept with Jackie, who clearly regrets the romantic error. Gal is a former bank robber living the high life on the Spanish coast with DeeDee. His dark past, what there is of it, is murky at best. We know he was a thief in Britain, but that''s it. His face, like his body, is puffy and sun-burned. When we first meet him he''s lying poolside, baking in the sun. It''s clear he loves this post-foul-up fun. He''s grilling and loving every minute of it.

Into this perfect world comes first the aforementioned boulder, quickly followed by the unwelcome news that Gal''s old pal Don Logan is due to arrive at any moment. Don is one of Gal''s old thievery pals from back in the day, and neither Gal nor ex-porn-star DeeDee is happy to hear of his impending arrival. It''s like a suckerpunch to everyone''s stomach.

Much is made about Don''s arrival. It''s only when he finally shows up that we begin to understand why everybody is so nervous. As Kingsley plays him, Logan is a Cockney madman, all ticks and rhyming slang. He spits, he shrieks, and he has a gun. He''s desperate to ensnare the flaccid Gal in a scheme that''s happening a thousand miles away in London, but Gal, and DeeDee, aren''t having it.

The less said about Sexy Beast''s plot lines the better. The story is nothing new, really, but director Joanthan Glazer tackles it with gritty aplomb, filling the screen with rapid-fire editing and crazed backstory. It''s fun in a scary way. You know things are going to end badly, dirty and full of blood, but with Kingsley''s remarkable Logan (he makes you think of Terence Stamp in The Limey) and Winstone''s corpulent Gal, it''s all fun and games for a while.

Is Sexy Beast the second coming of British cinema? Not hardly. The plot was old news long, long ago, and though Glazer has a keen eye and a smart-aleck take on things, it''s not enough to render the obvious less so. Still, Sexy Beast is a small triumph of gutsy, Britpop filmmaking. Like an unwelcome guest from way back when, it smarts and shocks, and just for a moment blows your mind.

Sexy Beast... (* * * 1/2)

Rated: R, 91 min.

Directed by: Jonathan Glazer

Starring: Ian Mcshane, Ray Winstone, Amanda Redman, Cavan Kendall, Julianne White, James Fox, Ben Kingsley, Robert Atiko, Alvaro Monje

Where: Osio Plaza

When: See Movie Times