FeatureNC-171989·124m·7.3

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

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

CrimeDrama

When churlish mobster Albert Spica acquires an upscale French restaurant in London, he dines there nightly, effectively scaring off the clientele with his bad manners. His wife, Georgina, is especially disgusted by him, and soon begins an affair with regular guest Michael. Despite their best efforts to keep it secret, Spica learns about their trysts, and he plots a terrible revenge.

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Cast

Michael Gambon

Albert Spica

Richard Bohringer

Richard Boarst

Helen Mirren

Georgina Spica

Alan Howard

Michael

Tim Roth

Mitchel

Ciarán Hinds

Cory

Liz Smith

Grace

Gary Olsen

Spangler

Ewan Stewart

Harris

Roger Ashton-Griffiths

Turpin

Ian Dury

Terry Fitch

Diane Langton

May Fitch

Prudence Oliver

Corelle Fitch

Ron Cook

Mews

Emer Gillespie

Patricia

Janet Henfrey

Alice

Willie Ross

Roy

Roger Lloyd Pack

Geoff

Alex Kingston

Adele

Bob Goody

Starkie

Details

Status
Released
Original language
English
Languages
English
Budget
$2.3M
Revenue
$7.7M
Age rating
NC-17
Quality
4K UHD · HDR10 · Dolby Vision
Production
AllartsElsevier-Vendex Film BeheerAllarts CookErato FilmsFilm4 ProductionsErbograph Co.

Crew

Director

Peter Greenaway

Writers

Peter Greenaway

Michael Nyman

Original Music Composer

John Wilson

Editor

Sacha Vierny

Director of Photography

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Costume Design

Ben van Os

Production Design

Jan Roelfs

Production Design

Gallery

Reviews

talisencrw

5/2/2016

9.0

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.