THE LAST SUPPER (THE MENU)
It's amusing to note that 'The Menu' was originally intended as a directorial project for Alexander Payne.
The director of 'Sideways,' 'The Desendants' and 'About Schmidt' is known for his caustic comedies lampooning US society.
However it would have a bit of departure for the Nebraskan to make a horror film - a fascinating one nevertheless.
In the end, Payne was unable to make the film due to scheduling conflicts.
© Searchlight PicturesHowever the English director Mark Mylod stepped in as his replacement and in many ways is an inspired choice.
Best known for his work on HBO's 'Succession,' the film is tailor made for his flair for directing dark, shocking and occasionally surreal comedy.
Mylod, after all, cut his teeth working with Caroline Aherne on 'The Fast Show' and 'The Royle Family,' Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, David Baddiel and Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G.
However it is his work as a director on 'Game of Thrones' and 'Succession' where he has really made his mark - finding humour in the grimmest of situations in the latter.
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'The Menu,' whose story was dreamt up by Will Tracy and Seth Reiss, is a wicked comedy horror film that lampoons bourgeois pretentiousness, ambition and greed.
It is one of Hollywood's most eagerly anticipated films of recent times, having featured in the 2019 "Black List" of promising screenplays.
The premise is also simple.
Several invited guests board a boat bound for an island which houses Hawthorn, an exclusive restaurant run by Ralph Fiennes' celebrated chef Julian Slowik.
© Searchlight PicturesThe party includes Nicholas Hoult's fanboy foodie Tyler Ledford and his date, Anya Taylor Joy's Margot Mills, Jon Leguizamo's ageing movie star George and his assistant, Aimee Carrero's Felicity.
Janet McTeer's well known restaurant critic Lillian Bloom is accompanied by Paul Adelstein's equally pretentious Ted, while Rob Yang's Bryce, Arturo Castro's Soren and Mark St Cyr's Dave are three brash tech industry dudes who revel in the exclusivity of it all.
Met off the boat by Hong Chau's Maitre D, Elsa, they are given a quick tour of the island before joining the other guests who include Reed Birney and Judith Light's wealthy couple and Hawthorn regulars, Richard and Anne and Julian's alcoholic mother who drinks herself into a stupor in the corner.
Margot is the only guest whose name is not on the invited list, with another woman's name registered but Tyler explains this individual was not able to make it.
© Searchlight PicturesSetting down at their tables, Tyler is excited to see Julian Slowik at work and is also desperate to impress him if he gets the opportunity to speak to him.
Obsessively photographing every dish that is brought out, Tyler is undoubtedly knowledgeable about the dishes that are presented to them.
However he is profoundly irritating and also condescending in the way he talks to the much more down to earth Margot who isn't so easily impressed.
Announcing every dish with a clap, it soon becomes clear that Julian's meal is as much a performance as it is to be eaten.
© Searchlight PicturesHowever as the evening wears on, the dinner takes on a much darker tone.
Julian uses the event to settle scores - exposing the foibles of each of his guests and brutally punishing some of them for taking the joy out of his passion for preparing food.
The only fly in his soup is the presence of Margot who should not have been there and ruins his fun.
As the chef metes out his punishment, what develops is a playful but increasingly disturbing film with the evening taking several nasty turns.
© Searchlight PicturesOne guest's marital infidelity is savagely punished.
Another is brutally ridiculed after being challenged to work in the kitchen.
A third is exposed as a sex worker.
Tortillas are inscribed using a laser and document some of the guests' sins.
© Searchlight PicturesJulian even inflicts an injury on himself to atone for past misbehaviour.
Mylod, Reiss and Tracy cloak their social commentary in the terror of horror.
And in some respects, they owe a big debt of gratitude to Jordan Peele whose movies 'Get Out,' 'Us' and 'Nope' have proven allegorical horror can really resonate with audiences.
But there is no denying that skewering of pretentiousness, narcissism, pomposity and greed is very entertaining and shocking - even if it is occasionally heavy handed.
© Searchlight PicturesMylod's film particularly targets those who have take the fun out of creating art - making it an uncomfortable watch for movie, theatre, music, art and food critics.
Although producers and investors in the creative and culinary arts shouldn't sit too comfortably in their seats either, as it also takes a brutal pop at them.
But as amusing and shocking as the set-pieces are, it is the performances - particularly Fiennes, Taylor Joy and Hoult's - that really ignite the movie.
Nominated for a Golden Globe, Fiennes is at his creepy best as a culinary star worn down by the industry and thirsty for revenge.
He is more than matched by the film's other Golden Globe nominated star, Taylor Joy who turns in another impressive performance as a character who is smart enough to see through the pomposity around her and quick enough to realise early on that not everything is as it seems.
Hoult can count himself unlucky not to be a Golden Globe contender - the consequence of a particularly strong Supporting Actor category this year.
His character Tyler is fanboyish to the point of not seeming to really grasp or care about the horror unfolding around him and he is arrogant to boot.
McTeer and Adelstein are also wonderfully pompous as the restaurant critic and her guest, with her living off the fact that she helped make Slowik a culinary force and also revelling in the fact that she can still find fault with his work.
© Searchlight PicturesLeguizamo does a good job too as a washed up action movie star reduced to appearing in lame Hollywood comedies and pitching to streaming services shallow travelogue shows.
Yang, Castro and St Cyr are also fun as their initially pumped up gang of tech entrepreneurs become increasingly twitchy and frightened as the evening progresses.
Light and Birney do solid work as a couple who have been to the restaurant 11 times but who later struggle to name a single dish from all those exclusive dining experiences.
Hong Chau also adds to level of discomfort as a Maitre D who refuses to acede to some of the guests' requests and makes cryptic, distribing comments.
© Searchlight PicturesNot everything about 'The Menu' is perfect.
As the evening builds, it inevitably leads to a rather jarring, over the top climax that doesn't totally convince.
While some viewers will enjoy the satirical games, others may find its sudden lurches towards violence just a little too much to stomach.
Nevertheless the film's sense of mischief, its acerbic social commentary and the strength of its performances carry it through.
© Searchlight PicturesVisually it benefits from Ethan Tobman's smart production design, Lindsey Moran's art direction, Gretchen Gattuso's set decoration and Peter Deming's cinematography which perfectly amplifies the coldness of modern restaurant architecture.
And that only adds to the sense of brutality.
'The Menu' is a horror film that will live in the memory long after you have seen it.
Mylod's movie will have you contemplating its themes.
So in that respect, job done.
This is a case where eaten meat will not be forgotten.
('The Menu' opened in UK and Irish cinemas on November 18, 2022 and was made available for streaming on Disney+ and other streaming services on January 3, 2023)
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