Adding to the gruesome festivities is an outstanding turn by Hong Chau – having a great year with her performance here and also playing Brendan Fraser’s nurse in “The Whale” – as Elsa, the autocratic maître d’ and Slowik’s second in command.
Director Mark Mylod, working from a script by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, tackles the arcane yet delicious topic of gourmet elitism in a directorial style that can only be described as George Cukor meets Sam Peckinpah.
Taking its cue from the 1932 James Whale horror/comedy “The Old Dark House” and an old “The Avengers” TV episode, the plot involves an exceptional dinner being held at a unique restaurant (on an island, no less!) whose chef de cuisine Julian Slowik (a brilliant Ralph Fiennes) has handpicked some very special diners to sample his new degustation menu. Among them are an obnoxious foodie fanboy (Nicholas Hoult), a pretentious food critic (Janet McTeer), an arrogant post-prime actor and wannabe food network sellout (John Leguizamo), and a husband-wife (Judith Light and Reed Birney) who are frequent customers of Slowik’s.
Although the excellent cast is underused, the movie is clever, moves quickly, and there is a fantastic faceoff between Fiennes and a mysterious guest who was not invited. The extraordinary Anna Taylor-Joy plays her in a state of supreme self-possession.
Adding to the gruesome festivities is an outstanding turn by Hong Chau (having a great year with her performance here and also playing Brendan Fraser’s nurse in “The Whale”) as Slowik’s second in command Elsa, the restaurant’s autocratic maître d’.
Enjoy!
