| Overall Grade: |
A+ |
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| Story: |
A- |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
A+ |
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Chef is my favorite character...
by W L (movies profile)
Jul 8, 2007
2
of
3 people found this review helpful
Maybe it's because of the recent tragedy with Hurricane Katrina, but my idea of New Orleanians is that of fun-loving, kind-hearted, genuinely good-natured people. They live amongst sin, but have learned to handle it in their own practical, if not naive, sort of way. They just want to be happy, and usually can be despite the crap they have to deal with.
Chef encapsulates all of these qualities. Everytime I see Chef cry after the tiger incident, being consoled by Lance, I feel so much pity for him. All he ever wanted was to be a cook, man -- what the hell was he doing out there? Likewise the sampan incident. Chef wasn't being a coward for not wanting to search the boat; he was just trying to show some compassion and avoid unnecessary conflict.
I love the "Redux" version because we get to see Chef take pleasure in the simple things he loves: Miss December/May and a good French meal, complete with sauces. There's a representative sense of innocence in how he's so thrilled with these serendipitous bonuses, which makes his revelation that he's a short-timer that much more heart-breaking.
I know so many people like Chef who I would never want to send to war (there are plenty of hot-blooded numbskulls who are more than willing to suit up to go harass foreign natives). We all have a darkside, but some of us, like Chef, have so much more light to begin with. "Apocalypse Now" may be mostly about our descent into madness, but it's also about our loss of innocence. We can see it happen most clearly to Chef. |
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