Review by Adam Thomas
Delicatessen is a french horror flick that takes place in a post-apocalyptic landscape, the main setting being a run-down tenement building sitting atop the only butcher shop for miles and miles. The butcher, Clapet, is much sought after, being the only soruce of meat in the travelable land surrounding the building. His tenants don't mind, and they can pay him in lentils, which has become the makeshift currency since the demise of the region.
Enter Louision, a circus clown who retired after his partner, Mr. Livingstone, died a tragic death during one of their acts. Deciding to move on with his life, he answers a want ad in the paper for a building superintendent, who may also live within the building for providing his services. He arrives, and Clapet greets him with hostility. He apparently doesn't remember putting ana d in the paper, or so he says. He allows Louision to move in anyway, and hires him as the building maintenance man.
Apparently, mail is a big thing. So much so that letter carriers are equipped with handguns. In one scene, a snotty mailman ignores Louision's warning that one of the stairs is loose, and ignorantly marches up the steps. French people, *sigh*. He takes the eventual tumble down the stares, shouting "SACRE BLEU!" or something else stereotypically french, (ok not really, but it's funny to think so) and after he drops the package he was delivering, there's a moment there where you see the residents in the hall all staring at each other, like someone just farted and they're all too arrogant to admit it. This is followed by a mad dash for the package, even though no one knows whats in it. They just want the damn thing, falling under the "Finders Keepers" code of conduct apparently being practiced in the home. Louision snaps it up, and refuses to give it back. Mr. Asshole pulls his gun on him, and threatens to shoot him if he doesn't hand over the package. Just in the nick of time, Julie, the intended recipient of the package, and comes to the banister, and announces that he is a friend, not to shoot him. Really, though, she's jsut got a jonesin for some Louision.
She apologizes that he had to have a gun waved in his face, and invites him over for tea, which is probably the least she could do. She thinks he's the hottest shit since sliced bologna, and she really wants to impress him. he is equally pleased, and wants to show her his balloon animal, so he agrees to come over. Julie, however is self conscious about her glasses, but at the same time blind as a bat, which leads to a hilarious scene where she is fumbling around her apartment, trying to do normal things, and injecting them with jurassic amounts of failure, being unable to see and all. He don't mind, though, she's cute when she's clumsy, he thinks. It should also be noted that Julie is the daughter of Clapet, the asshole butcher slash landlord. Yeah, you see where this is goin.
Long story short, there's a twist at the end of the movie. I won't tell you, but if you haven't figured it out by now, please, go watch some M. Night Shyamalan movies. Basic plot twists aside, this movie exmeplifies modern french horror. The art style, cinematography, script, acting are all gloriously over the top. There is every kind of scene you could imagine. There are the "cute" scenes, the "tug-at-your-heartstrings" scenes, the grimy death scenes, the humorous scenes, and of course the climactic finale. Finding out this movie was made in 1991 really blew me away. This film has some damn fine effects right on par with modern CG-laden movies of today, just on looks and cinematography. Caro and Jeunet were really ahead of their time with this one, in my opinion.
"Delicatessen" was directed by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and stars Dominique Pinon, Marie-Laure Dougnac, and Jean-Claude Dreyfus. You can find this gem on DVD.
I give this one a 9/10.