Fast Food Nation review

Richard Linklater changes tack once again after last year's rotoscoping adventures on A Scanner Darkly with his adaptation of Eric Schlosser's bestselling novel, a biting attack on American consumerism which concentrates on the machinations of the meat industry.

Linklater isn't afraid to get his hands dirtied and bloodied as he follows - in the style of Crash and Babel - a disaparate group who all have connections to the giant machine that feeds the United States. Greg Kinnear is Don, a top level executive for burger giant Mickey's who is sent to a distribution plant to investigate, if not quell, worries that standards may not be up to scratch. When he arrives at the giant plant he is given a tour that is economical with the truth and it's only when he delves deeper that he begins to find out just what America's most popular fast food is actually made of.

Unbeknownst to Don, the plant employs immigrant Mexican workers to do a very dirty job as they strip down each component part of the animal in less than ideal circumstances. Bobby Cannevale plays a callous floor manager who trades sex with the women for the better and safer positions, for as the migrants soon discover, accidents are merely met with the threat of repatriation by the company bosses.

Don seeks the help of former employees and local farmers to understand just how the economy of the plant controls local lives (variously played by Bruce Willis and Kris Kristoffersen), while disaffected teenage workers at the town's branch of Mickey's plan to rob their employers , and a group of young activists (among them Avril Lavigne) attempt to disrupt the plant through direct action.

Often uneasy and eye-opening viewing, this is likely to make the most ardent burger fan think twice before ordering his next triple-filled bun, and those with a sensitive disposition may find some of the factory scenes unsettling - but thanks to Linklater's smart direction the initial comic tone gives way to a more serious and thought-provoking second half. If it tickles your cinematic tastebuds, it's probably not a good idea to book a post-viewing dinner.

Paul Hurley