this movie is incredibly overrated
I won't say it's all bad, because there were aspects of it I genuinely liked. I found it engaging and I really enjoyed Gambon's acting. The dialogue was also lively.
But the cinematography and narrative devices killed it for me. Greenaway simply tries too hard. "The Cook" was over the top and pretentious. I can't stand his visual style. He clearly ripped most of his ideas from Kubrick -- heavy use of symmetrical, frontal medium long shots, orchestral soundtrack, styilized sets.
But he lacks Kubrick's subtlety. His visual style is simply too conspicuous. I got so tired of the long tracking shots and the ridiculous sets. A good example of his heavy-handedness is the mise en scene in the dining room. Everything, down to the costumes is blood red: passion! murder! Talk about obvious. Then we transition to a stark, white bathroom: visual contrast!
The ending really irked me. It felt gimmicky, obvious and unconvincing.
The characters lacked depth.
Btw, I've seen many of Greenaway's films, including his shorts (which are godawful) and these flaws occur in most of them. The only one I genuinely liked was "The Draughtman's Contract."
If the man would just show some self-restraint he might make something more interesting.
From the interviews I've read, he also appears to be a pompous, narcissistic ass. Unfortunately that personality comes through all too clearly in his films.