I love this movie so much

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

When a friend brought the DVD of "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" for me to borrow, he gleefully told me, *you'll see a Dame fully naked." I immediately asked, "Oh yes, would that be Helen Mirren?" to which he told me it was and asked how I had guessed. I said that Helen was famous for doing a revealing movie although I had never seen it and, I must admit, when I began to watch it, I was probably more titillated by the idea of seeing someone famous who I had long been a fan of naked than seeing a movie!However, as the film got under way, it became very apparent that this was no "ordinary" movie (whatever that is). At first, I found myself wondering what on Earth was going on but, as it progressed, I more and more began to feel as though I was at a live performance of a Shakespearian tragedy melodrama. Everything was dramatically overdone and I realised that this was completely intentional. If the naked love-making scenes had been faded out or masked, their impact would have been lost and the same applied to the gory scenes of abject cruelty.I did find myself wondering why Spica's (Gambon) restaurant had any clients at all given the way they were treated by him and his puppet henchmen and women and a number of other anomalies were also puzzling.However, after watching the movie, I thought I'd have a look at what other viewers had to say about it and logged onto IMDb. Amongst the few reviews I read, was one by Minerva Breanne Meybridge which, for me, brilliantly put the whole thing into perspective. Whether Minerva's interpretation is what the producers were aiming for is, of course, open to speculation but, as far as I'm concerned, excellently explains what is, after all, a decidedly bizarre movie.In fact, I would go so far as to say that Minerva's review should almost be mandatory reading before watching the movie.

The masochist in me really enjoyed the hell out of this ridiculous tour de force. It's shamelessly repugnant in every aspect. The story is marvelous, even more marvelous is the operatic way in which the story is told. Dame Helen Mirren is breathtaking in this. The one character that struck me as fascinating, and extraordinary, was the mob boss, Albert. He could be the most hateful character in all of cinema. He's like a nightmarish combination of Mr. Creosote and a Joe Pesci mobster. Dumbledore himself gives one of the most physically and emotionally exhausting performances I've ever seen, and I can't for the life of me understand why he wasn't nominated for an Oscar for this. This is an all around, perfect exercise in the grotesque and the surreal. I've never been subjected to a movie more equally enjoyable and painful to watch than this.

This movie is unlike anything else out there . That's what makes it great. Not suitable for sensitive individuals. The ending is predictable however. Although it fits in with the story it is perhaps the weakest part of the film. I have watched this movie several times and each viewing is a treat.There is some graphic violence which is not gratuitous (also true of the sex scenes) but is far too graphic for my taste (referring to the violence). Again, however , it does fit in with the general feeling of the movie. Fortunately, it takes up only one short part of the film. Helen Mirren is great as ever even though this was close to the beginning of her career. Every actor stretches his/her acting skills to produce an amazing picture. It is a very, very, dark humour and may not be suitable for everybody.

Michael Gambon (Perfect Strangers, Longitude, Wives and Daughters, The Singing Detective, Dumbledore in the last Harry Potters), the thief in the title, is a pig. He represents all that is wrong with the 1%. He is concerned only with his pleasure and spends his time berating others. We can on;y watch him and hope that he gets his just desserts at some point.His wife, Helen Mirren (The Queen, The Last Station, Gosford Park) is America, a toy of the rich, only to be used and controlled. Mirren is fantastic as always, and transforms after the ultimate indignity to seek her revenge. It is not a satisfactory revenge, as it is much too short, but one that we take pleasure in, as we would take pleasure in those who rape America.Alan Howard (the voice of The Ring in The Lord of the Rings) is the liberal establishment; ineffective against the boorish, gluttonous, murderous 1%. One should note that the liberal NPR could not find it within itself to interview the director. Writer,Director Peter Greenaway is well known for his hatred of the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and many would find this a criticism of her, but I feel it is much more - a critique of the rich and privileged and ignorant like Bush, Palin, Bachman, et al. If only the left had as much power as it is rumored to have instead of been a paper tiger.