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The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

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7.3/10 • 617

1989-10-132h 4m

CrimeDrama

Lust...Murder...Dessert. Bon Appetit!

The wife of an abusive criminal finds solace in the arms of a kind regular guest in her husband's restaurant.

Directors
Peter Greenaway
Editors
John Wilson

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Richard Bohringer

    Richard Bohringer

    Richard Boarst

  2. Michael Gambon

    Michael Gambon

    Albert Spica

  3. Helen Mirren

    Helen Mirren

    Georgina Spica

  4. Alan Howard

    Alan Howard

    Michael

  5. Tim Roth

    Tim Roth

    Mitchel

  6. Ciarán Hinds

    Ciarán Hinds

    Cory

  7. Liz Smith

    Liz Smith

    Grace

  8. Gary Olsen

    Gary Olsen

    Spangler

  9. Ewan Stewart

    Ewan Stewart

    Harris

Reviews1

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talisencrw Avatar

talisencrw

May 2, 2016

9/10

Having previously watched Greenaway's 'Prospero's Books', basically from the same era, one definitely gets a sense of the auteur, of great visualizing prowess in the Welsh native. I adore watching Helen Mirren from ANY era, but particularly here, in between the young adulthood beauty she displayed in Michael Powell's 'Age of Consent', through the remarkably absurd and audacious 'Caligula', straight to the sophisticated and very dangerous gorgeousness displayed in 'The Comfort of Strangers'. It's great to see any dude who's mean to a beautiful woman get their comeuppance (particularly the wealthy--it offers a sort of 'wish fulfillment' for the 99% of us), and the climax here is one of cinema's most articulate presentation of that phenomenon. It definitely made me wish to see the rest of both Greenaway's movies and of Mirren's performances. Well worth the acquired taste necessary for this sort of delicacy.

Media

  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover poster
  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover poster
  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover poster
  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover poster
  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover poster
  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover poster
  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover poster
  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover poster
  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$2,300,000.00
Revenue
$7,724,701.00
Keywords
sadismsexualityallegorycookingrestaurantcrime bosssatiresurrealismsociopathmurderbrutalityavant-gardepublic humiliationstray dogabusive husbandfrench cuisineadulterous wifecannibalismviolence