Burnt (2015)
Directed by John Wells
Adam Jones is a Chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior. He cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.
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What critics compared Burnt to
After arriving in London, Adam gathers his staff, à la the “Seven Samurai” (his words), from short-order shops and rival kitchens across London, a crew that includes Michel ( Omar Sy ), an old colleague from Paris, and Helene ( Sienna Miller ), an exquisitely talented and spirited sous chef who despises Adam and everything he stands for.
Knight’s script, too, supplies sharp, glancing insights into this ultra-competitive environment and the killer instinct it takes to succeed, even turning the Michelin quest into a sort of heist caper that continually places Adam and his team (which he models on the warriors from “Seven Samurai”) on high alert.
He recruits a "Seven Samurai" (his term) of kitchen help that includes an attractive working-class divorced mother, Helene (Sienna Miller), who inevitably perceives the wounded heart beneath Adam's leather jacket and muscle bruises (souvenirs from angry drug dealers, still seeking back payment).
Like Jon Favreau’s similarly themed Chef (this film’s original title), Burnt is filled with glossy images of gorgeously prepared food, but its characters and story are significantly less flavorful.
For the MasterChef crowd, there's plenty of food porn – with dishes designed by Marcus Waring (who served as a consultant) – but, still, you may find it isn't as juicy a treat as Jon Favreau's recent Chef , or underrated Stanley Tucci starrer Big Night .
But “Burnt” feels more authentic than either that film or Jon Favreau’s meringue-light “Chef.”
The movie hardly needs psychological intervention, because Burnt (which was going to be called Chef until Jon Favreau’s food-truck movie came along) is itself a kind of culinary therapy.
Even so, you long for the food-friendly approach that Jon Favreau brought to Chef .
When Winston (Ian McShane), the head of secret assassin society The Continental, orders a former member to honor the gold marker Italian gangster Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio, "Burnt") has presented for repayment of past favors, retirement into civilian life must be put on hold for "John Wick: Chapter Two."