Film - The Kitchen
I’m long weary of mafia films but I love anything based in the 70s mainly for the clothes (there is a lot of brown) and sometimes the music. In any case, this time it’s the wives doing the dirty business after their husbands are sent to prison and that’s a little bit intriguing.
The trio is headed up by Kathy (Melissa McCarthy) who’s the only one seems to have a loving marriage whereas Claire (Elisabeth Moss) can't seem to stand up to her abusive husband and Ruby (Tiffany Haddish) can and does. We only really learn about Kathy, the other two are kept mainly a mystery.
We first get to know them as a collective when they go to face the rest of the Irish mob as they seem to have forgotten to ‘take care of them’.. The vile leader throws away the handmade cookies offered as a sweetener which is just bad manners. In any case, Kathy decides to take over the protection business herself. She’s the only one with kids to feed but enlists the other two who suddenly find themselves short of cash.
The question that arises here is why didn’t she tell her husband in prison that she and the kids were not being taken care of like in every other mafia film?
But then it wouldn't be a story.
Yes, the money is needed and later wanted but it seems that Kathy is successful because she really does want to do well by her community. She cares about protecting the people who run businesses in Hell’s Kitchen and ensure they do well. They do well, she does well. The mob soon comes after them to reclaim what they feel is there’s but Kathy - the smart one - is one step ahead with her crew. Even in the mob world, things just seem to work better when male egos are left outside. Although there are still plenty of killings, by at least two of the three.
It's this community bit that gives the film a bit of edge. Although The Kitchen is repetitive - we didn't need to keep seeing a body being chopped up to know how to dispose of it in the same stretch of the river every single time - it is pacy and strangely enjoyable.
7/10