The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover 1990

English gangster Albert Spica has seized control of the upscale Le Hollandais restaurant, which is managed by the talented French chef, Richard Boarst. Known for his obnoxious demeanor, Spica frequently disrupts the dining experience for both the staff and patrons with his entourage of thugs. Despite losing customers due to his antics, he remains unfazed by their absence.

Accompanying Spica is his unwillingly elegant wife, Georgina, who soon attracts the attention of a modest regular at the restaurant, the bookshop owner Michael. Under the watchful eye of her husband, Georgina engages in a secret affair with Michael, assisted by the restaurant staff. When Spica uncovers the betrayal, Georgina seeks refuge at Michael’s bookshop. Food is discreetly delivered to her by a young employee named Pup, a boy soprano whose singing brightens their grim circumstances. However, Spica discovers Pup’s connection to Georgina and brutally tortures the boy. In a cruel twist, he finds the name of the bookshop written inside a book Pup was carrying.

In his vengeful pursuit, Spica’s henchmen raid Michael’s bookstore while Georgina is visiting Pup in the hospital. They execute a horrific punishment on Michael, force-feeding him pages from his own books until he meets a tragic end. When Georgina returns, she is shattered to discover Michael’s lifeless body.

Consumed by anguish and fury, she implores Boarst to prepare a meal from Michael’s remains, an unthinkable act that he ultimately agrees to. Armed with this macabre dish, Georgina rallies together all those whom Spica has wronged throughout the story and confronts her husband at the restaurant. In a dramatic standoff, she forces Spica to ingest a bite of Michael’s cooked body. He complies, retching in horror. In the climactic moment, Georgina ends Spica’s reign of terror by shooting him in the head, denouncing him as a cannibal.