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Movies / On DVD / The Green Butchers
The Green Butchers

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The Green Butchers (2005)

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Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:17

Rotten:9

Average Rating:6.3/10

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: A bitingly clever script elevates this tale of two affable butchers whose tasty recipe for human flesh makes them the hit of their small Danish town. Ambitious Sven (Mads Mikkelsen) and apathetic... A bitingly clever script elevates this tale of two affable butchers whose tasty recipe for human flesh makes them the hit of their small Danish town. Ambitious Sven (Mads Mikkelsen) and apathetic Bjarne (Nikola lie Kaas) open a butcher shop in their small Danish town. As they are affable losers--Bjarne is a pothead, and Svend is an anxiety-ridden mess--they need a miracle to make it big, which comes in the form of a hapless electrician winding up dead in their meat freezer. Soon, the village is abuzz with excitement over the great new meat dish being served, and Svend has the success he's always dreamed of. Alas, with the demand comes the need to keep up the supply, and that means more visitors to the meat freezer. But while Svend perfects his marinade recipe, Bjarne weakens under the strain of the grisly matters at hand, especially when he falls in love with the undertaker's daughter (Line Kruse) and his mentally handicapped twin brother (also played by Kaas) suddenly wakens from a coma. Surprisingly, sweet-natured character development and positive messages abound in this dark cannibalistic comedy, with gore kept to a minimum. Dogme 95 co-founder Anders Thomas Jensen wrote and directed, so there's plenty of scathing social commentary, though he escapes the drab realism of that movement in favor of quirky, surreal touches. [More]

Starring: Line Kruse, Nicolaj Lie Kaas, Mads Mikkelsen, Nicolas Bro

Starring: Line Kruse, Nicolaj Lie Kaas, Mads Mikkelsen, Nicolas Bro, Bodil Jorgensen, Aksel Erhardtsen

Director: Anders Thomas Jensen

Director: Anders Thomas Jensen
Screenwriter: Anders Thomas Jensen
Producer: Kim Magnusson, Tivi Magnusson
Composer: Jeppe Kaas
Studio: Newmarket Films

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Green Butchers

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An obvious and strained effort.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
02/01/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

absurdity and deadpan humor culled from the comic ingredients of cannibalism and retardation

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/07/04
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Filmcritic.com

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.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
01/28/05
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post

It's much ado about mutton.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
01/21/05
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

For a comedy, that most culturally-specific of genres, the Danish production travels remarkably well

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
02/18/05
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

A dark comedy whose story is propelled by shock but sustained by issues of love and forgiveness.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/18/05
Stina Chyn
Stina Chyn
Film Threat

A sort of reverse Dogme movie, set in a slightly surreal world where everyone and everything is just a bit off-kilter.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
12/10/04
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

Nither high flying enough for the art house nor low down enough for the cult-video shelf.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/06/05
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Deceptivily simple and wickedly funny.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
06/24/04
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

While the acting is top-notch, the real star of the film is the script.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
12/09/04
Ernest Hardy
Ernest Hardy
L.A. Weekly

The subject is so grim you may find that you've forgotten to laugh.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
02/11/05
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

Neither funny nor outrageous nor horrifying nor conventionally affecting.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/14/05
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

While it's got a refreshingly dry, nasty tone, the film is never quite as funny as it needs to be.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
01/21/05
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

Mines the deep vein of flat-out weirdness that runs through an apparently sleepy, picturesque Danish community.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/07/05
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

You might say it's a case of too many ingredients spoiling the meal.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
01/07/05
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post

...considering the premise, this is a remarkably accessible little film.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
02/13/05
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Jensen's tone is admirably dry, and the film offers its pleasures through small, writerly details.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/10/04
Nelson Pressley
Nelson Pressley
Washington Post

The two leads do emerge as kind of likable, in part thanks to Jensen's knack for balancing comedy and the macabre without ever stepping over the line.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
08/18/04
Gunnar Rehlin
Gunnar Rehlin
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Butchers has little appetite for the darkest questions at the heart of its conceit.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
11/30/04
Benjamin Strong
Benjamin Strong
Village Voice
 
 
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