The Forgiven

 The Forgiven is another quiet, sardonic study on personal responsibility from writer/director John Michael McDonagh. It's not as good as Calvary - nowhere near as rich thematically, nor as funny - but it's a decent follow-up.

 David (Ralph Fiennes) and Jo (Jessica Chastain) Henninger are heading to a party hosted by some friends (Matt Smith and Caleb Landry Jones). On the long drive there David, who's DUI, accidentally runs over a kid and kills him.

 And they would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for that pesky other kid who was watching from behind some rocks (and was going to rob them when they stopped). The police, however, are uninterested  -the kid was from a nomad tribe- and quickly decide it was an accident. So all seems well... until the father of the kid (Ismael Kanater) pops up and says that honor demands that David accompany him back to his village to bury his son. David, understandably concerned for his personal security, ends up reluctantly going while Jo stays behind and indulges in some decadence.

 It's a pretty prickly movie. David is basically what you'd call a nasty piece of shit, but his character arc is interesting, especially when compared to the party back at the compound. All sorts of acts of casual (and not so casual) racism, flaunting of privilege, and delusion are presented with a wry sense of humor (I don't think I've seen as bleak a joke as the fireworks scene here in a long time). A little preachy, maybe - it's certainly not very subtle - but done with enough sophistication and depth that it doesn't grate too much.

 McDonagh's dialog is sharp and witty as ever, and there's a lot of humanity to David's growing rapport with the dead kid's father and their guide Anouar (Saïd Taghmaoui). The addition of thriller-ish elements to their jaunt are also welcome, adding some sorely needed risk to the proceeds; It's a slow movie where not a lot happens. The direction, besides pacing, is also excellent, with lovely, sweeping shots of the beautiful Moroccan countryside courtesy of cinematographer Larry Smith.

 It's not an easy watch - despite the dramatic premise, it doesn't build up to any grand thesis or revelation, just a lot of messy moments and maybe a little growth - but sometimes that's the best you can hope for.

The Menu

 The Menu is an agreeably mean-spirited satire with some very easy targets: foodies, high cuisine, and rich people - it could be subtitled The Service Industry Strikes Back. It spreads the bile around, though, by making the avenging chef (Ralph Fiennes) and his cultish staff into absolute nutters; not to mention their restaurant charges more than fifteen hundred dollars for dinner. Fuck those assholes.

 The dinner in question is an exclusive affair where a bunch of rich people are ferried over to an island restaurant for an evening of fine dining. Among the  cast are a has-been actor (John Leguizamo) and his assistant (Aimee Carrero), a couple of food critics (Janet McTeer and Paul Adelstein), some random finance bros and rich people (one of them played by Reed Birney, who reminded me a lot of Dan O'Herlihy; I kept waiting for him to say "Chef, you're fired!"). Most importantly, there's also a rich young foodie douchebag played by Nicholas Hoult (I did say this movie picks some very easy targets); He's only important because of his plus one, a last-minute replacement after he broke up with his girlfriend. Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) is the odd one out in the group in that she doesn't take any bullshit, notices all the stuff the others miss, and is generally the voice of reason. A great final girl, in other words.

 The first few plates go relatively smoothly, though there's already some slight trolling there - such as a course of breads where only the accompaniments are served (bread is poor man's food, you see) or the chef theatrically sending the food critic an oversized plate of poorly prepared/cracked emulsion (don't ask me). Then there's a death, and the evening's entertainments begin in earnest.

 The main fun in the movie is the suspense part - the premise is completely ridiculous, but putting aside a few jabs at the attendees and some fun stylistic choices, the film presents itself at all times as a serious thriller, with Margot trying to navigate both groups to try and avoid what's clearly going to be a massacre. Picking apart what's going on (and why) is also fun, though the revelations alternate between humorous and a bit underwhelming.
 Director Mark Mylod has a good handle on tone, with most of the jokes underplayed to fit the playful, murderous tenor of the the script. Things are kept relatively classy, with a couple of bloody highlights. As for the script (by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy - both veterans from The Onion*), it's pretty sharp and not afraid to get ridiculous. Any agenda or ideology is quickly smudged as sympathies shift; It's the better film for it.

 Fiennes plays a mean psychopath, both menacing and weirdly vulnerable; Anya Taylor Joy makes for an extremely relatable, likeable protagonist, and everyone else - especially Leguizamo, who gets a lot of sympathy playing a douchebag who knows full well how much of a douchebag he is - are great if a bit cartoony. Poor Nicholas Hoult gets saddled with the most exaggerated character, a sycophantic, shallow moron whose big moments sometimes ring a bit too shrill against the slightly more subdued characters others are playing. Then again, he gets one of the best visual gags in the movie. Swings and roundabouts.

Take my word for it, this is a very funny movie.

So... yeah. The Menu tempers its humor with a nicely evil edge, and its horror with a beyond silly premise, some fun asides, and pretty effective satire. And I'll stop now before I'm possessed to inject a culinary reference.
 You're welcome.

*: Will Tracy also wrote Save the Green Planet with Joon-Hwan Jang, which is a crazy thing to have on one's resumé. Much respect.