In my opinion,a quite brilliant and under-rated british crime/thriller/comedy which has been interpreted as an allegory for Thatcherism in the 1980's. Albert Spica,played by Micheal Gambon,is a violent,offensive,crude gangster,"The Theif", with gourmet aspirations who dines nightly at "le Hollondaise" restaurant with his elegant and attractive wife Georgina ,played by Helen Mirren and motely crew of ascociates,which he partly owns with french chef Richard Boarst"The Chef",playd by Richard Bohringer. Georgina grows tired of her husband's persisant oafish behaviour and is drawn to a fellow diner played by Alan Howard.The pair embark ia dangerous and deadly relationship,right under the nose of Albert,who eventually finds out and vows to kill and eat Micheal howard-"the Lover". This particular uncut version,running to 124 minutes,touches on such subjects as scatological violence,cannibalism,torture and unbrideled carnal lust/full frontal nudity.Needless to say it provoked some controvesy on its release in 1989,earning it an X certificate,normally reserved for pornographic films.A second version was released,cut down to 96 minutes,which is the one normally available on DVD. I would say this is one of my all time favourites and an ebay find and one of Peter Geenaways finest and accomplished works,displaying innovative dialogue,avant-garde camera work and sumptous sets and costumes.A MUST SEE!!!!!.Read full review
I'm not a cannibal, so, I didn't get excited with the last scene and the hero being cooked and laid out on the table. Too much emphasis on food and the villain was over-the-top. I wanted him dead after the first scene because of the way he treated the Helen Mirren charcter and others. The principal reason I purchased this film is because I am a fan of Helen Mirren and have seen most of her movies. I'm also a fan of her body and wanted to see her naked in a way that was more direct and up-front. I wanted to see her full-frontal and that did not happen. Once again, a director played around with showing her naked, being artsy about it. So, there were many quick shots and strange angles in which she is naked, but not in a way that I found acceptable. In answer to The Question, I would not buy this movie again.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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