The Menu (7/10 stars)

"It's a Halibut, You Donkey!"

Please, someone get Gordon Ramsey to watch this movie, for there’s no way Ralph Fines played chef Slowik without partially consulting the demeanor of “demon” himself. Finally, after 20 seasons of Hell’s Kitchen, someone decided to make a horror film about a select restaurant and its devilish culinarians. With countless attended details, Halfthorn’s exacting, ruthless, while aesthetic nature is depicted in the solemnity during meal preparation, faith in sacrificial presentation, and deliverance of grotesque cuisines, to the point where it can nearly be called a cult.

In the center of such unwonted organization is chef Slowik, who, despite his apparent eloquence, courtesy, and dedication, is a definitive lunatic, sociopath, and gastronomic addict. The charisma of this character is developed not only because of his resemblance to Gordon Ramsay and Voldemort, but Slowik’s comically cynical gestures, implicitly poignant background, and emotively storyful eyes: Julian is veritably a human, just traumatized, deranged, and depraved. Pursuit of art is never a questionable matter, yet when ethics are involved, pleasure should not top principle.

Other than the mesmerizing villain, the Menu also portrays a variety of entrancing characters, appetizing dishes, and gruesome bloodshed, which entertain me throughout. Two things to be mentioned: the introduction is quite stiff and intentional, while the ending is rather insipid. I get that Margot‘a request kindles Slowik’s passion for cooking, but the foreshadowing is insufficient and the reason is uncompelling. Moreover, the bizarre mentality of the secondary cooks is never explained, as the audience can only infer sickness by heart: yes, this is basically a story about an insane chef with his insane crew insanely grilling all their customers to medium-well. After watching, I feel both nauseous, and ravenous.