Bitter Feast (2010)
There is an old saying that states, "revenge is a dish best served cold." Well, that certainly describes the plot of the recently released on home video film Bitter Feast.

Bitter Feast tells the tale of two men who each have a reason to be quite bitter, as both of their lives have fallen to pieces.

Peter Gray (James LeGros) is a celebrity chef who not only runs the kitchen of an upscale New York restaurant, but is also the cohost of a popular television cooking show. Things began to unravel when the restaurant he is employed at receives a negative review by food critic J.T. Franks (Joshua Leonard).

When we first meet J.T. Franks, he is engaged in a seemingly harmless conversation with his wife. That conversation soon turns very dark, as we learn that their child passed away, and Frank tells her in no uncertain terms that he does not want to play any part in procreating with her again.

After he receives the nasty review, Gray's television show begins to suffer. Gray attributes this to his bubbly co-host who is brought on to change the dynamic of the show. Once it is revealed that the show is going off the air altogether, Gray also finds himself relieved of his restaurant duties.

While a more level-headed chef such as Wolfgang Puck or Chef Boyardee would simply regroup and try to gain employment at a new eating establishment, Gray makes the decision to abduct Franks and bring him to his cabin in the woods. He puts Franks through a rather unique form of torture. Trying to show Franks that he knows nothing about food preparation, and therefore has no right to criticize anyone else's skill, Gray makes Franks complete a series of food challenges. You might not think that watching someone trying to cook an egg would make for interesting viewing, but in this case it does.

Bitter Feast has a very intriguing premise. Considering what a huge part food plays in our daily lives, there haven't been too many movies where it plays an integral part. There were about 10 killer sea creature movies released last year, yet I had to rack my brain to think of the last movie I saw about food.

That isn't to say that Bitter Feast is only about food, it just happens to be a major plot device. The film is mainly about two men whose lives are in shambles, and one of them happens to be driven to madness as a result (although we learn that this is not entirely new behaviour from Gray).

Unfortunately the film suffers a bit in the latter stages as it changes from a psychological thriller, to a bloody-hunter-versus-prey chase film. The idea of Gray giving Franks food challenges throughout the film was a unique one that I thought should have been carried out until the end of the film. Also, since Franks is shown to be such a jerk to his wife, not to mention the overly critical reviews he has written in the past, I for one didn't feel a lot of sympathy for him. As a result, I wasn't as invested as I could have been if a more likeable character was put into this situation.

That being said, I recommend that you check out Bitter Feast, and I'm not just saying that because I'm afraid director Joe Maggio will kidnap me, bring me out to the middle of nowhere, and force me to make a movie.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars