Review of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) by Stuart K — 10 Mar 2013
Written and directed by Peter Greenaway, (The Draftsman's Contract (1982), A Zed & Two Noughts (1985) and Drowning By Numbers (1988)), this is a romantic crime-drama that has surrealistic imagery that has become commonplace with Greenaway's work.
But it's a compelling enough story thanks to some very good performance and dreamlike camerawork and Michael Nyman's score. Vicious, boorish gangster Albert Spica (Michael Gambon) has just acquired the high-class restaurant Le Hollandais Restaurant, run by French chef Richard Borst (Richard Bohringer), where Spica makes nightly appearances, terrifying the customers and staff.
His battered wife Georgina (Helen Mirren) wants to get away from him but she cannot, but she meets bookshop owner Michael (Alan Howard), who is a regular at the restaurant, and they begin a very passionate, sexual affair under Albert's nose.
But, Albert finds out and rages, but Georgina and Michael escape to his bookshop where they plan to hideout, but Albert is determined to find them. This is a very other-worldly film, but it's beautifully made, Gambon is such a nasty piece of work in this film, while Mirren is as good as ever.
Plus, it all builds up to an unbelievable ending that you wont' forget in a hurry, Greenaway has a style and vision unrivaled.
This review of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) was written by Stuart K on 10 Mar 2013.
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
