Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

amanda1020 I've seen this show since December 2002, and I have my opinions on this show. First off, it's interesting to see how the chefs can take an abnormal food item and use it in 3-8 exciting dishes. Something that isn't used in one cuisine can and will be used in that one and another. Second, I'm interested in learning about certain ingredients and how to cook them if I would like to use them in the future. Learning how to prepare ingredients in this show is key for the viewers, and I agree with most of the tips. Some of them were new to me, but I understand them now since I've watched this show many of times.

pete4winds I have to agree with pretty much everything in Mark Messina's review, but here's my take on it anyway:I first got hooked on it when my fiancee turned me onto it long before we moved in together. I spent weekends at her house, and watching "Iron Chef" on Friday nights was a weekly ritual. As a long-time NASCAR fan, my FIRST impresion was that this is what the result would be if Emeril Legasse worked for NASCAR. Why is that, you ask? Anyone who is familiar with both Iron Chef and NASCAR knows exactly what I mean.The action is fast paced, and the "color commentators" Kenji Fukui and Hattori Yukio in the booth give a flawless play-by-play. However, the real star of the show, in my opinion, is kitchen reporter Shinichirô Ôta. NASCAR fans will recognize him as "Iron Chef's" answer to pit road reporters such as Dr. Jerry Punch and John Kernan. His "right in the middle of the action" perspective adds an up-close and personal element to the show. Without Ôta, much of the action would be lost to viewers, simply by virtue of the program's pacing. Besides, how could you not love the incredibly inappropriate timing of his frequent "Fukui-san!" interjections? Nowhere else in the world would a rude interruption be so welcome!!! Besides, half the fun of the show is watching the competitors try to wave Ôta like a really irritating mosquito.I mentioned early on that Iron Chef has a NASCAR feel to it. The comparison is clear when talking about the color commentary, but when it comes to the competitors, this is nothing short of a knock-down drag-out brawl. All of the Iron Chefs are great, but Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi is by far the most entertaining...not for his vast talent, but for the fact that he tends to stress WAY too much. Whenever he's on, the near-panicked look on his face as the end of the hour nears...priceless.Finally, Takeshi Kaga, the chairman of Kitchen Stadium, not a chef at all, but a long-time musician and theater actor. What can I say about Kaga? Well-known for being the first Japanese to portray Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as the first japanese to play Jean ValJean in Le Mis, these days he's just another in a long list of reasons to tune in. Above all else, I can't escape the thought that he is Japan's answer to Liberace.

Alyssa Sloane I am surprised that more people haven't written about this show. It has caused a cultural revolution, and has made such an impact that SNL even bothered to mimic the show. It is supposed to be melodramatic, and I love the dubbed voices. Almost every one I know who knows of this show loves it, and is addicted. Even though I would not want to eat some of the dishes at times, watching them put those dishes being put together is always interesting. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night I tape The Iron Chef. Its one of the best shows on television.

Basil White Calling "Iron Chef" a cooking show is like saying "Jurassic Park" is a film about animal husbandry. In Tokyo's Kitchen Stadium, Chairman Kaga has assembled the greatest Tokyo chefs in every major world cuisine. Each week, the programming staff selects a challenger to do battle with one of the Iron Chefs. The two chefs have exactly one hour to make as many dishes as they can, using a mystery ingredient revealed by Chairman Kaga just moments before the battle.The dishes are judged by a panel of Tokyo celebrities, and even scores go to a thirty-minute tie-breaker. However, the most entertaining part is watching the chefs cook as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is the only cooking show where I actually learned something useful. It's also the only cooking show that I would watch with a roomful of friends and a six-pack.