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The Green Butchers

Play trailer Poster for The Green Butchers R 2003 1h 40m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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63% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
The owners (Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas) of an organic-meat shop attract unsuspecting customers with a special cut that is actually human flesh.

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The Green Butchers

The Green Butchers

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Critics Consensus

The Green Butchers isn't exactly grade A, but this dark comedy carves some genuinely satisfying moments out of a story that finds genuine emotion in a gory premise.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Howell Toronto Star 02/11/2005
2/4
The subject is so grim you may find that you've forgotten to laugh. Go to Full Review
Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune 02/03/2005
3/4
Gruesome as it may sound, Butchers is a likeable, well-made film and a genuine comedy. Go to Full Review
Michael Booth Denver Post 01/28/2005
3/4
You might not want to dine with this group, especially if they brought the meat. But it's OK to play with the knives a little. Go to Full Review
Film Threat 12/06/2005
3.5/5
Bill Chambers Film Freak Central 02/18/2005
2.5/4
For a comedy, that most culturally-specific of genres, the Danish production travels remarkably well Go to Full Review
Phil Villarreal Arizona Daily Star 02/17/2005
3/4
Denmark may not have any Coen brothers, but it does have one Anders Thomas Jensen, and he's more than enough. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Hector I Dec 5 Svend and Bjarne, two men damaged by life, open a butcher shop that fails until a cannibalistic "recipe" suddenly brings success. The film starts as absurd comedy but shifts into drama, showing how childhood wounds shape our choices. Svend, never loved, seeks respect at any cost and falls into violence, while Bjarne, traumatised by the loss of his family, tries to stay on the side of good. The story probes what we bury inside ourselves and reminds us that, even when broken, we still have a choice. Its Jeunet-like aesthetic heightens the strangeness, and Svend’s lack of empathy echoes how ordinary people can slide into horror. This film marked me not because I want to see it again, but because of the uncomfortable questions it stirred in me. A disturbing, darkly comic tale. 3/5. See more R 9 10/03/2023 Sweeney Todd... if he were a butcher?* I watched this as part of my run through Mads Mikkelsen's filmography, but it may as well be a Nikolaj Lie Kaas 'watchathon' given how often he has appeared - not that I'm complaining, I like him as an actor. Him and Mikkelsen (how about that trim!) are terrific all the way through this 2003 flick. The story is a surprisingly simple one but is one that never bores or overstays its welcome, the 90 or so minute run time is perfectly selected in that regard. It's a pretty messed up story but an entertaining one at that, you can probably predict large portions from a certain point - yet even then there are still bits that are against that grain. Humour-wise it's solid if not spectacular, though a lot of it is naturally likely lost in translation... it still has its moments, mind. Elsewhere, I enjoyed the score a fair amount, it reminded me ever so slightly of a tiny bit of music from 2011's (outstanding) 'Source Code'. In short: 'The Green Butchers' is excellent. I'd personally recommend that you check it out. *looks like Andy Milligan and John Miranda did just that 33 years prior this with 'Bloodthirsty Butchers'... kudos! See more Wolfgang G 08/25/2022 Dänische Delikatessen ist eine dänische Filmkomödie, besser gesagt eine Makabre und groteske schwarze Komödie. Drehbuch und Regie Anders Thomas Jensen, er ist auch für die Filme „Men & Chicken" und „Adams Äpfel" bekannt. Die beiden Hauptdarsteller Nikolaj Lie Kaas als „nette lieber Scheusal (Bjarne) und zurückgeblieben Zwillingsbruder ( Eigil)" Mads Mikkelsen (Svend) als „neurotischer Pedant", spielen ihre Rollen ausgezeichnet. See more dave s 03/02/2022 While it doesn't always hit the mark and stretches credibility somewhat, The Green Butchers is an entertaining and very dark comedy about cannibalism. Svend, who suffers from some psychological issues, and Bjorne, who is perpetually broke, are a pair of butchers who decide to open their own shop. To their disappointment, the shop draws no customers…until they start serving human flesh to their unknowing clientele. The Green Butchers is as deadpan as deadpan gets, filled with lethal, droll one-liners and subtle sight gags. It does get a bit repetitive as the parade of frozen corpses on meat hooks progresses, but it is strangely compelling and flat out funny at times...and not as gruesome as one would think. See more 10/15/2021 This is likely my favorite foreign film, and definitely my favorite foreign comedy. See more 09/12/2018 One of the best foreign comedies I have seen. While at first impression it strikes as more of a grim kind-of-creepy film, it has many hilarious elements. The psychology of the characters is pretty well constructed and sustained throughout the story. I had a great time watching it, and after seeing the ending, it added a plus comedy-wise to all of the grim-ish situations that had happened before. See more Read all reviews
The Green Butchers

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Movie Info

Synopsis The owners (Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas) of an organic-meat shop attract unsuspecting customers with a special cut that is actually human flesh.
Director
Anders Thomas Jensen
Producer
Kim Magnusson, Tivi Magnusson
Production Co
M&M Productions
Rating
R (Language|Drug Use|Disturbing Images)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Danish
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 8, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.5K
Runtime
1h 40m
Sound Mix
Surround
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