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One of the best crime thriller movies ever is on TV tonight

Published 12:03 8 Apr 2026 BST

Updated 12:15 8 Apr 2026 BST

Stephen Porzio
One of the best crime thriller movies ever is on TV tonight

Homemovies & tv

The film also features one of the best villain performances of all time.

Sexy Beast, the legendary 2000 crime thriller from director Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin, The Zone of Interest), is airing on TV tonight (Wednesday, 8 April).

The filmmaker's feature debut, the movie centres around a British ex-criminal named Gal Dove (Ray Winstone).

He has served his time behind bars and blissfully retired to a Spanish villa paradise with his wife, DeeDee (Amanda Redman), whom he adores.

"The idyll is shattered by the arrival of his nemesis Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), intent on persuading Gal to return to London for one last big job," the plot synopsis reads.

"Desperate not to sacrifice his enchanted existence, Dove is drawn into a shocking battle of wills with Logan, and takes part in a sensational underwater heist, risking everything to protect the woman he loves."

Also featuring within its cast James Fox and Ian McShane, Sexy Beast is an absolute modern classic.

This is thanks to the film's artful expressionistic direction by Glazer, its dark and wickedly funny screenplay by duo Louis Mellis and David Scinto (Gangster No. 1), and its ferocious villain performance for the ages by Kingsley.

In fact, the actor earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his work in the movie.

The crime thriller recently got a prequel series, which is streaming via Paramount+. The show features Irish actress Sarah Greene in the DeeDee part.

But if you want to watch the original, Sexy Beast is airing on TV tonight on Film4 at 10.45pm.

The film should also be available to stream on Channel 4's website from Thursday, 9 April.

For JOE's list of the other movies on TV, click here.

One of the best crime thriller movies ever is on TV tonight